Distance
by SkellingtonZero
Summary: My name is Naruto and I fell in love with Sakura at first sight. The problem is, people say somethings off about her. She dissapears for weeks on end, then reappears as though nothings wrong. -L cancer, death, depression, love, life,
1. Post

Greetings, I am L.

I do hope you enjoy the story and will leave a review if you would like it to continue.

Distance 

Chapter 1 Post 

It was a cool, autumn morning. The sun was out but it did little to warm my frozen body. I groaned in annoyance as I opened the simple, black post box and placed the stack of post inside it then shut it.

My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am the Post man.

This wasn't my first choice is jobs.

Nor was it my second.

Or last.

But a job is a job.

It pays the bills.

My breath hitched as a cool wind swept through the quiet streets.

I wish I didn't have to do this first thing in the morning.

It was too damn cold.

I sighed and bit my lip and continued onto the next house.

It was a woman's.

That much was obvious what with the flower garden in the front and the adorable cat sitting in the window. I opened the small, white gate and walked up the short path to the white post box and opened it just as the front door slammed open.

I looked up, and my heart almost leapt out of my chest.

There stood the most beautiful young woman I ever saw.

She had long, flowing pink hair that went down to her hips.

Stunning emerald eyes.

And a slight, slim frame.

My nose twitched.

She wore simple pink and white stripped pajama pants and a white tank top.

"Uhm…excuse me…" She spoke, her voice soft and gentle, like an angel.

It was then I snapped out of my stupor and a stupid grin snuck its way onto my face.

"Yes Miss?" I raised an eye brow, adjusted the stupid hat and slung the post bag over my right shoulder.

"This is the post." She thrust out her slim, pale hand to me.

I looked at what she was handing me and smirked.

Clearly she did it in a rush.

Two of the envelopes didn't even have stamps on them.

"Miss?" I spoke softly, leaning forward a bit.

That made her flush pink.

Cute.

"Don't mean to be rude or anything but you may want to add a few more stamps before you post them." I winked at her then nodded down at the envelopes in her hand.

Confusion danced in her bright emerald eyes before she realized what I meant.

"Oh!" She nodded, her pink hair feathering out around her. "Uhm…these really need to go out today. Can you spare me a moment?" Her eyes pleaded with me to say yes.

I nodded.

"I have a few moments to spare Miss…" I trailed off, hoping she'd catch the hint.

She did.

"Sakura." She took a step back into her house. "One minute!" And with that she darted inside.

I took a moment to try and fix my messy blonde hair and looked around her yard. She obviously took great care of it because every last blade of grass was a healthy shade of green, the lawn was cut annoyingly even and the white patio set she had off to the side was perfectly clean, each chair tucked into the round table and not a speck of dirt on it. Her house somehow gave off a warm glow though the weather was still bitingly cold, the wind slicing my exposed skin and the sun still not warming anything but itself.

After a few minutes she reappeared in her doorway, her emerald orbs wide with worry. "Sorry I took so long, I misplaced the stamps…"

"Quite alright Miss Sakura." I grinned and accepted the post she held out to me. "Part of the job."

I glanced up at her as I tucked her post into the bag, she was starting at me with an odd look in her eyes and after a few seconds she cleared her throat. "You're new aren't you?" She asked, sniffing against the cold.

I smiled and tipped my hat. "Yes I am Miss Sakura." I glanced at the watch on my wrist and cursed. "But unfortunately I don't have any time to chat right now." I sent her another charming smile and made my way down the path. "Hopefully I'll see you again Miss."

I locked back her front gate and made my way onto the next house, as I walked up the path to the other house; I glanced at Sakura out of the corner of my eye.

She was now closing the door, a baffled yet intrigued look on her cute little face.

I smirked to myself and finished my route for the day.

_Distance Distance _

If I said I was a nice guy I'd be lying.

If I said I was a bad guy I'd be lying.

The only thing in life I care about is having fun.

I like concerts and parties. I like girls and hanging out with my friends. I like Ramen and I liked that girl Sakura.

So here I sat, at my buddy Kiba's place drinking a hot cup of java while he got ready for his job.

"So you said her names Sakura right?" He asked, pulling a black hoodie over his gray shirt as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah." I slumped down in the chair and sipped my coffee. I had finished my rounds earlier than normal, meaning I had some time to kill before it was time for I met up with Jiraiya , I was his apprentice.

Sort of.

He believed I had a talent for writing.

Something I have yet to discover in myself, but who am I to judge when the most famous modern writer has taken a liking to me?

"She have pink hair?" He grabbed his fingerless gloves off the counter and pulled them on.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah…"

"Huh…I think I've seen her…" He mumbled absently and looked around. "Say you've seen my muzzle anywhere?" He asked, frowning and getting down on all fours to look under the table.

Kiba's a veterinarian by the way.

He works with his sister at their own pet hospital but he usually goes on the house visits while she manages the hospital. "Why the hell would I know where you put your muzzle?" I scowled but got up to help him look anyway. "So you know Sakura?"

I stepped over him and began to search the living room.

He lived in a fairly large house with his sister; he occupied the bottom half and she the top. Which worked out fine since he used the back door and she used the front.

I cursed as I stepped in a dissuaded banana peel.

"Dude you need a maid." I muttered and began tearing apart the couch.

"I know and no I don't know her I've seen her. She has this little white Persian cat that's prone to sinus problems. She brings the poor thing in at least once every two months for a checkup." He answered from the kitchen.

"Ah." I hummed to myself as I pulled the lost muzzle from deep beneath the couch cushions. "Found it."

I held the thing at an arm's length away from me and waited for Kiba to take it.

So she took good care of her cat huh?

Well that was expected judging from her front yard.

A bit of a neat freak.

"I personally think she has some problems though." Kiba spoke suddenly, grabbing the muzzle and tossing it into his open gym bag he uses to store his equipment.

"What do you mean?" I absently wiped my hand on my pants.

He shrugged then turned to the back door. "Nothing except every once in awhile someone will drop off her cat at the hospital and we end up taking care of it for a few months." He shrugged as though it was completely normal. "It's like she just disappears sometimes." He grabbed his car keys off the end table and motioned for me to follow him.

I did.

"I mean I guess her bills are still paid and someone takes care of her house but…it's just weird."

I nodded.

It did sound a little weird, but who was I to judge?

I knew nothing about her.

"Well I guess I should get going." I patted Kiba on the back. "Catch ya latter man."

_Distance Distance_

Ever since that morning Sakura has been on my mind.

I couldn't stop thinking about her though I knew nothing about her.

The way her long pink hair cascaded down her back, the way her emerald eyes caught the morning light, everything.

It was like I was drugged and all I could do was think about her.

Which was bad considering the fact that I was now in Jiraiya's apartment where I was supposed to be taking notes on how he gathers his research for his books.

"Naruto!" I jerked back awake from my daydream to stare at Jiraiya's pissed off dark eyes. "This is the third time today! What the hell is wrong with you?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

I couldn't get her out of my fucking head.

"Well?" He asked, a snarl on his face.

He was an old man to say the least, with long white hair, wrinkles, and wisdom well earned. But he was the world's best damn modern writer. He wrote love stories, though people do argue that it's just porno, you can't argue that he doesn't know what he's writing about. The man's got money. And lots of it.

"Are you going to tell me or what Naruto?"

I reclined my neck onto his sofa and sighed.

His apartment was on the large side, having more than enough money to splurge on it. He had a wrap around sofa, a glass coffee table, two foot stools, a large flat screen television mounted on the wall, a bookcase filled with endless porno DVD's and a fake fireplace.

And that was only the living room.

"It's this girl." I muttered annoyed about telling him.

"Ah, matters of the heart." I felt his tone change from pissed off to intrigued.

Which I don't like in the least.

He may be old, wise, and famous, but he was still a pervert.

"Yeah so I think I'll just cut today's lessons short-see ya." With that I jumped up and darted out the door.

Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy deep down but he is still a fucking pervert, and for some reason, I just don't want him to know about Sakura. At least, not yet.

_Distance Distance _

I know it's stupid to have her on my mind after only speaking to her for a few minutes but that's what happened.

Instantly, she held my heart.

And for the first time, I didn't want to push myself on her. I wanted her to want to know me.

I wanted her to want to be with me.

I wanted her, to make the first move.

To say, I want to get to know you Naruto.

For the first time in years, I Naruto Uzumaki was nervous because of a girl.

_Distance Distance_

L.

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	2. Number

L.

Distance 

Chapter 2 Number

The next morning went about the same way.

I woke up grumbling to myself, cursing the post system and the unpredictable weather. Today was what would pass as a hot day in the middle of autumn; the sun was out, shining brightly and shooting its warm, happy beams down onto the Earth.

Normally I would be okay with it.

Normally I wouldn't be cursing its golden rays to hell.

But now I was the fucking post man and had to walk from house to house delivering peoples bills and whatnot.

The only bright side was the fact that I got to go to Sakura's house.

I sighed a heavy sigh as I grabbed a particularly heavy stack of post from a house and stuck it into the bag strapped across my shoulder. Damn people and their stupid bills. Damn them to hell.

I slammed the box shut and walked out of their driveway then I grinned as soon I approached her house.

Sakura's house.

All the shittyness of the morning seemed melted away as I stared at her immaculately clean lawn, free of even the smallest piece of rubbish.

So I opened the gate, made my way up the path, waved to her white cat in the window and prayed to whatever God that would listen to me that she was late with the post again.

Apparently someone was listening to me because as soon as my fingertips brushed the top of her post box, her door flew open.

And there she stood in all her flustered glory.

Her long pink hair was messy.

Her face was flushed.

And her large emerald eyes locked with my own.

"Oh uh morning!" She blushed as the words tumbled out of her plump, pink lips.

"Good Morning to you Miss Sakura." I smiled warmly up at her, my eyes roaming over her frame. Today she was wearing black and pink checkered pajama pants and a black Pirates of the Caribbean shirt that hung loose on her slim body.

"You remember me." She stated simply, shock entering her sparkling orbs.

I grinned. "Of course. How can I possibly forget a beautiful young lady like you?"

The blush on her cheeks deepened as she avoided my eyes and instead opted to stare down at her bare feet. "…Uhm…here-the mail." She held out a small stack for me to take.

I glanced down at her outstretched hand, taking note of how small and frail her fingers looked in comparison to the large envelopes they clutched. My gaze traveled up her arm to the point where the black shirt rested against her upper arm, her skin was frighteningly pale and she basically had no fat.

Slowly I reached out and took the post from her fingers.

"Thanks." She spoke, her voice a whisper.

My eyes darted back up to her face as I stuck the envelopes in my bag and pulled out a small stack for her.

She looked adorable.

Her large emerald eyes were shining in the golden sunlight.

She was chewing her lower lip.

Her long pink hair hung like a beautiful curtain around her body.

And her nose, her cute, tiny nose twitched just the slightest as a soft wind blew.

"Here Miss Sakura." I held out the stack for her to take.

"Sakura." She mumbled as she accepted it.

"Excuse me?"

"Sakura. Call me Sakura." She smiled and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Ah." I nodded, a small grin spreading across my lips. "Then call me Naruto." I held out my hand for her to shake.

"Nice to meet you Naruto." She clasped my hand, her frail fingers curling around my large, rough hand.

"Pleasures all mine." I whispered, noting the cool feeling that spread from her fingers, into my hand and up my arm. "So Sakura…" I glanced up at her, a charming smile on my face. "How would you like it if I took you out for some coffee sometime?"

She blushed heavily and chewed on her lower lip, her fingers still resting in my hand.

"Nothing serious." I added, playing with her fingers. "Just coffee."

After a few seconds she nodded and withdrew her hand. "Sure…just coffee..." She then backed into her doorway and reached inside for a pen. "Call me sometime…" She mumbled as she scribbled her number onto my hand. "And we can set it up."

_Distance Distance _

I met Kiba at the pet hospital after work, stupidly happy about my short conversation with the pink haired beauty. I stuck my hands in my pockets as I strolled though the automatic doors and grinned at Temari who sat behind the front desk.

The place was pretty quiet considering it was almost lunch time. Usually, about now there'd be people rushing in clinging to their pets freaking out.

Right now the lobby was empty.

"Morning Temari." I greeted, casually walking over to the front desk and leaning on it.

She looked up at me, a polite but strained smile on her face. "Good morning Naruto." Her voice was stiff.

"Well gee babe; don't get too happy to see me." I laughed and backed away just as her hand flew up to slap me.

"Oh fuck you Naruto." She snarled half-heartedly and rolled her eyes. "Kiba's in the back. Go ahead." She waved me away and returned to her computer screen.

I chuckled and began walking through the door only to pause for a second. "I know you want to but shh." I placed my forefinger on my lips and winked. "Kiba and I are sort of in a relationship at the moment." I laughed then left her gaping at the front desk.

It was always funny to mess with Temari.

She made it so easy.

Always overreacting and believing the bullshit that comes out of my mouth.

I sniffed happily to myself and walked down the long hallway to the back room where Kiba usually hid from his older sister. By the time I reached the door Kiba was already standing there shaking his head and holding out bottled water. "Here man." He shoved the bottle in my hand and led the way down another hall to the outside.

I followed him outside and sipped my water.

"It's thanks to you my sister gives me so much crap huh." He stated, pulling out a lawn chair for me then grabbing one for himself.

They had a big pet hospital, complete with an outdoor lawn just for the animals. We were currently sitting in the new outside grooming area for the dogs.

I looked around. They were now installing the grooming tables and outside sink.

"Hm?" I slouched down under the sun and closed my eyes.

He scoffed and kicked my leg. "I heard you telling Temari that you and I are in some fucking relationship? She goes and tells my sister then I get the third degree about a relationship that we don't even have."

I chuckled.

"So you denying what we have?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled. "What do we have? You come over here and bug the shit out of me every day?"

I smirked. "But we are in a relationship. You're my best friend, man." I shrugged. "I think that qualifies as some sort of a relationship right?"

This time he grinned. "Yeah but explain that shit to my sister. You know she's trying to hook me up with another one of her friends? She isn't even hot." He sighed and shook his head. "Man sometimes it can be a real pain working with her."

"Well at least get a little action with the girl." I took a swig of the water. "She might not be hot but she could be good in bed."

"And then listen to Hana's bitching after? Not worth it."

"True…well I've got some good news." I glanced at him then looked up at the sky. "Talked to Sakura today."

"Oh? When?"

"When I picked up her post."

"So you didn't really talk to her…it was just a chat huh?" He mocked.

"Look who's talking. The guy that needs his sister to get a girl for him."

"Oh fuck you."

"I know you want to. You've been eyeing this body for as long as I can remember." I chuckled and gestured to my body then ducked when he aimed a fist at my head.

"You're such an ass man!" He yelled around a laugh as he grabbed my shoulder and yanked me up out of the chair. "This is why people think we're fucking gay!" He punched me in the gut.

I laughed as I staggered backward into a table, my hands up in surrender. "Dude people think you're gay. Not me." I grinned as I caught his fist and punched him in the face. "Besides." I held up my hand so he can see her scrawled number written on my palm. "I got her number."

He stared stupidly at my hand for a second before grinning and slapping my back. "Good for you man! So you are going to call her?"

"Hell yeah."

_Distance Distance _

I had gotten Sakura's number.

She had willingly given me her number.

She could have said no.

She could have said to pick her up at her place.

Or meet her at a café.

She could have lied and claimed she was in a relationship.

But no.

Sakura was willing to talk to me.

She was willing to go for coffee and get to know me as more than just the Post Man.

And me?

I wanted to get to know her.

I wanted to know everything about her.

_Distance Distance _

L.

What did you think?

Review with your thoughts and or opinions.

Continue?

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	3. Coffee

L.

Distance 

Chapter 3 Coffee 

I heaved a heavy sigh as I paced in front of the counter in the middle of my kitchen. This was it; I was going to call Sakura.

I ran a hand though my messy hair and rolled my shoulders.

It's been two days since I talked to her and got her numbed.

Two days without seeing her because when I got to her house to collect and drop off her post, for once it was actually in the little box.

I paused my pacing to stare down at the scrap of paper I jotted her number on and re-read it. Alright, time to man up and make the damn call already.

I grabbed the phone off the counter and dialed her number, drumming my fingers against the rough countertop. After a few seconds, the phone picked up and her now-familiar voice came through. _"Hello?"_ She answered, her voice insanely sweet and gentle.

Relief flooded through my veins. "Hello, Sakura?"

"_Naruto?" _Confidence returned to me as I leaned my hip against the counter.

"Yeah…it's me." I grinned to myself. "How are you?

Shuffling was heard on the other end before she spoke again. _"I'm fine. How about you?" _

"I'm doing well. I was calling to schedule our coffee…meeting."

"_Ah, yes." _More shuffling was heard followed by the sound of her car meowing.

"So when are you free?" I asked, jumping right into the snake pit. So to speak.

"_Anytime in the late morning." _She answered immediately, without hesitating.

"Great. So tomorrow?"

"_Sure." _ And with parting words, we hung up.

_Distance Distance _

The next morning, after gloating to Kiba and rubbing his face into it for about half an hour, I left to walk to my 'date' or 'meet up' with Sakura.

I walked into the café and inhaled the familiar, comforting scent of the freshly ground coffee mixed in with the exotic, imported flavored syrup. This was my favorite coffee shop in all of Japan, it was small and quaint but the coffee always tasted delicious; it had a standard that never dropped. I smiled at the barista eyeing me behind the counter as I made my way up to her. "One small coffee…coconut coffee." I corrected myself, glancing up at the board.

"Alright Sir, would you like to add that to your tab?" She asked, batting her long, heavily made up eyes at me.

I smirked.

Good.

I looked good.

I nodded, glancing around at the customers, trying to act cool.

Alright I was cool, I knew it.

I was one of the very, lucky few that had a tab here; and the only reason was because Jiraiya knew the guy that owned it.

I smiled to myself as my eyes landed on a guy sitting at the counter. He was tall, that much was obvious with the way he slouched down in the stool; and he was tan with ridiculously long blonde hair.

I scoffed.

Gay.

What guy willingly had long hair?

Totally and completely gay.

I snorted and accepted my coffee then took the table towards the far middle of the café.

I had time to kill before Sakura arrived; I smartly arrived fifteen minutes before so I could get comfortable.

I sighed and grabbed a random stack of newspaper and settled down in my seat to wait.

I skimmed the front page, frowning at what people considered news these days. Since when does a woman turning one hundred and two make the paper? Hell if that passes as new then every fucking thing Jiraiya does deserve an article. I mean the old man basically-

I looked up from the papers just as Sakura pulled out the chair opposite me. She wore a light white coat and a matching hat and what appeared to be simple blue skinny jeans.

"Well hello there beautiful." I grinned, too fucking happy that she actually showed up then immediately regretted my choice of words.

This wasn't a date.

She thinks this is just a coffee…meet-up.

Though she is right in thinking it.

I mentally kicked my own balls when she froze, her emerald orbs opening in horror, her face paling.

"Uh…"

Fuck.

Would it be that bad to be on a date with me?

Shit.

Crap.

Fuck!

Just then Sakura plopped her absurdly large black purse on the table and laughed awkwardly. "T-thanks…" She shrugged off her coat. "But uhm…this isn't…"

"A date I know." I forced a charming smile to my lips and stood up. "How about a cup of coffee?"

"Sure." A smile lit up her face as she began unbuttoning her light coat.

I nodded an strode over to the counter and ordered her a plain cup of coffee, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I flipped through the list of topics we could talk about.

It was unfortunately a small list.

I had no idea what the hell her interests were.

Did she like sports?

Unlikely. She didn't look like the type.

Maybe arts. Books?

Shit.

If she was the artsy type I was screwed.

The only thing I know is that Picasso was a painter.

Right?

"Here you go Sir." I looked up at the barista slid the coffee towards me. "Add that to your tab?" She batted her lashes and slyly licked her lips.

"Yup." I nodded and turned back to where Sakura sat. She had her back towards me and had shrugged off her coat and hat, leaving her shoulders bare to the cool air and her long pink hair hanging down her petite back.

Inwardly I grinned and walked back to the table and set the coffee in front of her.

"Thanks." She murmured, a wistful look on her face as she sipped it.

"No problem." I admired the way her eyes nearly closed as the coffee touched her lips and slid down her throat. "So Sakura…" Her eyes locked on mine. "What do you do?"

"Pardon?" She set the cup back on the table and leaned back a bit.

"As a job I mean." I shrugged. "You know I'm the Post man."

"Oh." A light blush dusted her cheeks. "I'm an artist."

Shit.

Shit shit shit shit.

I knew jack-shit about art.

"Oh?" I lifted an eyebrow and took a sip of my coffee. "Really? That's interesting." I leaned back, trying to look like I knew about art.

She nodded and shrugged. "I mostly paint."

"Really? That's cool." I nodded, searching for something else to say. "So how do you make money?"

"Huh?" Her eyes shot up to mine in surprise.

Oh crap.

I just insulted her didn't I?

"Like…do you…I don't know…." I shifted and ran a hand through my hair, not sure how to continue the conversation. After a few seconds I sighed and shook my head. "To be honest here Sakura I don't know a thing about art or artists."

She giggled.

I mean actually giggled.

"What's so funny?"

Great. She's mocking me now.

She probably thinks I'm some asshole that-

"Well I didn't expect you to." She smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind an ear.

"…What?"

"You don't look like that type to know about art. I didn't expect you to. No pressure."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh…well then…"

She shrugged and toyed with the necklace resting against her collarbone; it was in the shape of a bird painted light blue. "I work for an art museum. Anything I paint goes directly to them." She muttered shyly.

"That's cool. She is it like a commission pay? Or do you have to paint something every week?"

"It's commission. Which is nice I mean it takes all the pressure off, you know?"

I nodded and smiled.

Then she smiled back.

It was nice, just sitting here, conversing. All the pressure was off. She was a genuinely nice girl.

I glanced over her shoulder and saw a tall man with long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes glaring at me over his coffee cup. And I mean he was really fucking glaring at me.

If his eyes could shoot fire, I'd be ashes by now.

My eyes darted back to the pick haired beauty in front of me and I couldn't ignore the nagging voice in the back of my mind shouting at me that this blonde haired, mental asshole was somehow in relation to her.

Distance Distance

L.

What did you think?

Review with your thoughts and or opinions.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	4. Boyfriend

L.

Distance 

Chapter 4 Boyfriend 

So the 'date' or meet up or whatever the hell this was, was going fantastic. We were laughing, smiling and relating to one another.

This is, until the blonde haired asshole decided to pick a fight with me.

I was smiling at Sakura, one hand draped over the back of my chain, the other laying casually atop the table when he stalked up, effectively stopping the conversation. "So Sa-"

"Sakura…" He spoke, completely ignoring me in favor of staring down at her looking like a complete kicked puppy.

Needless to say, I was fucking befuddled.

Sakura jumped at the sound of the guys voice, her long pink hair flying as she sat ramrod straight. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of him and her cheeks flushed pink. "Deidara!" She yelped then jumped up to embrace him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were…"

"I was but I came back early." He answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to his body.

What.

That.

Hell?

My eyes darted back and forth between the two as my brain went into hyper drive trying to find a logical explanation.

Was this guy her brother?

Please for fucks sake let him be her brother.

After another second she released him and turned back to face me. And boy did I regret looking at her. She basically fucking glowed like a child on Christmas morning. Her face with pink with happiness and her eyes lit up. She couldn't stop smiling and she twiddled with her thumbs.

In short, she looked too damn cute to be true.

"Naruto." She spoke, but her voice broke half way.

I shifted so I didn't look as casual, this guy was pissing me off the way he stood behind her, one hand stuck casually in his pocket the other resting on her hip. I folded my hands neatly on the table and smiled a fake smile up at her as she cleared her throat and tried again.

"Naruto this is my boyfriend Deidara." She smiled warmly down at me and linked her fingers through his.

It was then I felt my blood run cold.

Boyfriend?

Did I hear right?

No. There must be something wrong with my hearing because I just heard the word 'boyfriend' and not 'brother' come out of her mouth.

"Naruto?" She called my name again and her proud smile turned concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think so he's looking a bit pale." The asshole Deidara spoke for the first time.

I sneered at him and shook my head.

"No, I feel fine just…" I trailed off, my eyes flickering between them.

It was then I paused to really take in Deidara.

He was tall and tan with long blonde hair, which to my disappointment looked as healthy as hair can get. He looked to be in fantastic shape, if his exposed, muscular forearms were anything to go by, and was that fucking eyeliner around his eyes?

Well hell.

I lost to a guy that wears make-up.

Does nothing go right for me?

I sighed to myself and sulked for a bit and watched them.

Pathetic I know but I couldn't help it.

I mean they were directly in front of me!

"So you would mind Naruto?" I jerked back to reality when Sakura turned toward me.

"Uh…what was that?" Shit. She's inviting him to sit here isn't he?

She smiled kindly at me. "Would you mind if Deidara joined us?"

Oh fucking hell does the universe have something against me?

"No…of course not." I nodded at him.

What could I have done?

If I said no I'd look like a complete ass.

Sneakily I glared at him as he pulled out another chair and sat down after she retook her own seat and nudged her coffee cup towards him. To my dismay, he accepted, kissed her cheek, and took a gulp.

It was then I noticed he wasn't the jackass I'd hopped him to be. He was the perfect gentleman with Sakura. He sat facing her, one arm resting behind her chair while the other was casually on the table in front of her. It was a protective yet calming demeanor he exhibited.

And then he turned to me and he turned right back into the condescending prick I initially thought him to be.

"So, your name is Naruto?" He asked conversationally. But hell his tone was anything but friendly. He was challenging me.

I glared at him and nodded stiffly.

"Yea…so you two are dating are you?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yea…" He grinned mockingly. "Have been for a while now."

And it went on like that till I finally had the perfect excuse to leave.

I got a phone call.

_Distance Distance _

"Jiraiya I love you so much right now I could kiss you." I gushed as soon as he opened the door and let me in. "You have no fucking idea how much I owe you at the moment."

"…Right…" He regarded me stiffly, one eyebrow raised as he nodded to the wrap-around sofa. "Have a seat. And no kissing." He added dryly.

With the situation beginning to settle into my brain, I was a little less happy that he had been the one to call me instead of Kiba. With my feet dragging, I made my way to the couch and settled into the middle.

After a few seconds, he handed me some mixed drink I've never heard of and sat a good distance away. "So…want to tell me why you were so happy to have me call you?"

I stirred my drink.

"Technically you yelled." I muttered.

I wanted a fight. I wanted to kick and scream and break everything.

But I couldn't do that here. For one he'd demand an explanation and for the other there was a fifty fifty chance he'd make me pay back for the damages.

"Yes I did." He sipped his drink. "You forgot our appointment for today."

I shrugged.

"Naruto, tell me what's been bothering you?" He was quick to pick up on the change. Not that I expected any less I was only hoping he'd just let me be and move on with the lesson.

No such luck.

"You realize that I am here for you don't you?" He shifted and sighed. "Just because I'm old and you're my apprentice doesn't mean I don't care about you….as much as it saddens me to admit it." He nursed his drink.

That was a bit shocking.

I mean I knew he cared to a degree but thins was unexpected.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye; he appeared to be relaxed, but the set of his mouth told me different. He was worried about me.

"Do you not want to talk? Or just not with me?"

I shrugged.

I felt like an ass not answering him, but if I opened my big fat mouth now, who knew what was going to come spilling out.

I still felt angry inside, but I no longer wanted to break anything. I just wanted to bang my head against the wall.

And so it went until he released me.

He asked questions, mumbled old bits of advice, and I just sat there, staring at my drink.

_Distance Distance _

"She has a fucking boyfriend!" I yelled as I stormed through Kiba's door and kicked the first thing I saw, which happened to be his sofa.

"Hey man!" He yelped as he sat up. "You almost kicked my face!"

I glared down at him and began pacing.

"A boyfriend you idiot! A fucking blonde haired asshole of a boyfriend!"

I couldn't control my rage.

As soon as I left Jiraiya's something inside me snapped. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that my phone had a missed call from her. Maybe it was the combination of the two.

Whatever happened, my mind snapped right back to the beautiful pink haired angel and her blonde haired boyfriend.

She was dating that prick!

Why?

Why in fucks hell was she dating him?

Kiba remained silent for a few seconds before standing up and walking to the kitchen.

"Sakura?" He asked from somewhere in the refrigerator.

I flipped him off before collapsing onto the sofa and tugging at my hair.

I heard him rummaging around for something before walking back into the living room and sat beside me.

"Here." He shoved an ice cold bottle of Heineken into my hand before popping it. "You need this." He muttered and opened his own. "Cheers."

We clinked bottles before taking a sip.

Then, like the pathetic bastards we were, we sat there.

We just sat there, in silence, drinking our alcohol before curiosity got the better of Kiba and he cleared his throat.

"I take it things didn't go as planned with Sakura huh?" he asked conversationally.

I sighed and shook my head.

I had already drunken half of the bottle.

"What do you think?" I snapped then groaned. "Sorry man…I don't mean to be an ass it's just…"

I leaned forward and rubbed the heels of my palms into my eyes.

He sighed and patted my shoulder. "It's just she had a boyfriend ey?"

I nodded.

"Sorry man…" He muttered. "Crash here tonight?" He offered, glancing at the clock. "It's already eleven."

I dragged my head out of my hands and conformed the time. It was eleven PM.

It would make sense for me to crash at Kiba's; it was late, I was depressed, plus, I had to work in the morning. Could life get any worse?

_Distance Distance _

L.

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	5. Milk

L.

Distance 

Chapter 5 Milk 

I avoided Sakura for about a week. I didn't take her calls, made sure to dawdle before picking up her post, and evaded everywhere she might have turned up.

In that one week I went from pissed off, to depressed, to stuck up, right back to pissed off again.

Needless to say, it was a tiring cycle that nearly gave Kiba and me whiplash.

It was a mid-Saturday morning and I was bumming around the animal hospital, annoying the hell out of Temari and playing with the newborn puppies. We were currently all lounging around the lobby; I was kneeling near the front doors with one pup, Temari was behind the desk looking over some papers and Kiba was going back to his office.

"Kiba you idiot!" Temari bellowed and threw; well more like hurled a water bottle down the hall behind him, narrowly missing his head. "You forgot to fill out your log! Again!"

Idly I wondered what she'd do if she really did knock him unconscious.

I picked up the tiny newborn puppy and cuddled him to my chest and glanced at the she-devil glaring daggers at Kiba's head as he quickly filled out a stack of forms in front of her.

Somehow, I didn't think she'd play nurse and fetch him a cold pack.

I sighed, shook my head and nuzzled the top of the puppies head and tried to ignore the banshee Temari was turning into. "You're so soft…" I murmured into his ear and scratched under his chin. "Maybe I'll take you home with me tonight-"

"Naruto! Stop dancing with the damn puppy in the lobby! Take him out back with the others!" Temari's wretched voice cut through my thoughts, deafening one ear.

"What?" I frowned and turned to face her, trying not to flip her bitch switch. "I wasn't dancing. I was swaying." Stupid woman. Why the hell would I be dancing? I resumed my swaying and cuddled the puppy closer to my chest.

"Naruto." She spoke my name again, this time her voice was icy and low.

Thank whatever Gods that were listening because it was then Kiba jumped in. "Leave him alone Temari." He sighed and stepped in front of me. "He isn't bothering you-he's just playing with one of the new born pups."

Her olive eyes turned to slits. "And he can't do that in the back with the other animals?"

"Why do you want him in the back?"

"Why do you give him special treatment?" She countered haughtily. "If he were anyone else you'd make him go play with the puppy in the pen-but because he's fucking Naruto he can play with whatever animal he likes wherever he likes?"

Kiba groaned and rubbed his face. "Temari what is your problem with the guy? Did he rape you or something? Cause right now you're jumping down his fucking throat!" He turned to face me and shook his head. "Sorry man-I guess she's pmsing or something. Come in the back with me and leave her alone alright?" He raised an eyebrow at me and held up one hand, silencing Temari's impending rant.

I shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

I wasn't in the mood to argue much anyways, I just wanted to sit and play with the little pup.

To be honest, I was still kind of bummed about the pink haired beauty I was avoiding. Even though she tried numerous times to contact me, twice through leaving me letters, I still couldn't bring myself to face her. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't outright honest about having a boyfriend, or maybe it was because she was just too nice.

Whatever it was, it hurt me real bad.

"Fucking mental she is. Right Milk?" I spoke to the puppy as I walked behind Kiba.

Then ran straight into his back.

He spun around and steadied me with one arm.

"What the hell did you just say?" He asked, mild concern and amusement dancing in his eyes.

It was then I realized what I had just said.

Shit.

I just named the pup in front of him didn't I?

Inwardly I groaned.

There went my last remaining man points.

Outwardly I shrugged and shouldered past him.

"Dude what the hell did you just call the puppy?" He followed me down the hall and to the outside.

"Nothing." I eventually answered him and continued to pet Milk's fur.

Kiba laughed. "'Cause I'm pretty damn sure you weren't calling me Milk…" He wrapped one around my shoulders. "Were you?" He loomed closer to my face then burst out laughing.

I fumed, my face turning red. "Oh fuck off Kiba!" I snapped and flipped him the bird as I took a seat on one of the white lawn chairs.

He continued to chuckle and turned on the outside sink then plugged the drain to let the water fill. "Man, in all the years I've known you I never thought I'd see the day you'd be sitting there, fucking cooing to a puppy and naming him…" He shook his head and rubbed his nose.

I glared daggers at his head but didn't deny anything.

After a few minutes of silence, he snorted and rubbed the back of his neck. "So you haven't…" He raised an eyebrow and left the sentence hanging.

I shook my head. "Nah…"

He nodded sagely. "Going to?"

I shrugged. "Don't know."

"…Okay." He stretched his neck then began to walk to the play pen outside for the younger dogs. "I'm going to start bathing 'em dude." He muttered as he picked up a tiny lab and attached a leash to its collar. "Oh shit."

"What?" I asked vaguely, tapping the top of Milk's nose.

"The station's a mess…hold him?" He asked and held out the leash.

"Fine." I grabbed the leash but continued to tap Milk's nose.

After a few seconds, I decided to break the silence.

"Hey Kiba?" I asked absently, scratching the top of Milk's head.

"Yeah?" He answered over his shoulder as he cleaned down the station.

I hummed to myself for a second, staring down at Milk's relaxed expression as he snuggled down into my lap. "Do you think I can have Milk?"

Kiba stopped cleaning and turned to face me, one eyebrow raised and an amused expression on his face as he leaned back against the metal table. He thought for a second, before he chuckled. "Sure. Why the hell not? You already named the little guy." He reached out and patted the top of Milk's head. "And he's taken a liking to you too…" He mused.

_Distance Distance _

Things went on like that for about three hours.

Temari looking like a hawk for any reason to hang my ass out to dry.

Me avoiding the hell-bent-banshee.

And Kiba playing bodyguard while bathing the new pups.

It was around mid-afternoon things began to stir up.

Kiba received an emergency phone call and rushed out the door to the patents house. He came back ten minutes later, shouting commands at his sister and Temari.

I wasn't too sure exactly what was going on, I wisely stayed towards the back of the hospital.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and petted Milk's head as I waited for things to calm down. I was curious to find out what was going on, but I wasn't curious enough to face Temari again.

I still had a fucking headache from her earlier screeching.

And I'm pretty damn sure I'd have to visit my doctor soon; I was still hearing ringing in my ear.

Anyways, from the hollered communication I gathered it had something to do with a cat and its owner.

In the back of my mind Sakura popped up but I quickly dismissed it.

Even if it was her cat, what was I suppose to do? She had a boyfriend didn't she?

_Distance Distance _

L.

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	6. Hospital

L.

Distance 

Chapter 6 Hospital

And what a boyfriend she had.

As I was leaving the hospital, I caught a glance at the sorry bastard standing in the lobby talking to Temari. There he stood, worried, looming over the counter, muttering to the banshee gone wild.

I scowled and jerked my head away from the two of them and tried to sneak past without getting caught.

Too bad the universe hated me.

"Naruto?" The bastard's damned voice called out to me. "That is you right?"

Reluctantly, and only because I wanted to keep my hearing, I stopped just shy of the door and turned to face him with Milk squirming in my arms. Apparently he could sense what sort of bastard he was and wanted me to get away.

Such a good boy.

Deidara looked like shit much to my contentment.

His long blonde hair was greasy as though he hadn't washed it in days, his eyes were sunken in and dark, his clothing was crinkled and slept in.

What the hell had he been getting up to?

"Yeah?" I growled out, then cleared my throat. "You're Dei…dara right?"

He nodded tiredly and scratched the stubble on his chin, avoiding my death glare. "Look…listen…"

I stopped him there.

Was he seriously going to give me a lecture for Sakura?

"Look man I have to go alright?" I shuffled back to the door. "Good luck with your…cat…"

"Sakura!" He yelled out, pulling me back. "It's Sakura's cat…you know she has a cat right?" I turned to scowl at him only to see him shuffle forward, closer to me. His eyes flickered down to Milk. "The ah…I think it's a Per-"

"What the fuck do you want man?" I glared.

What was his problem?

Was his intention to rub every godforsaken thing in my face?

That stopped him in his tracks.

He jumped back slightly, as though I made a move to punch him.

Though trust me, if he kept talking I would have.

"I just thought…you're her friend right?" He swallowed and kept his distance.

I gritted my teeth.

Was I Sakura's friend?

Did it matter?

And why did he want to know?

Slowly, I nodded my head. "Yeah…why?"

He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pocket. "I thought…she might appreciate someone familiar…a friend…" She sighed and shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. "I thought it might be nice if she had a friend by her side right now..."

My frown only deepened.

"What? What are you talking about."

"Don't you know?"

"Don't I know what?"

"Sakura…she's in the hospital…"

What?

She was?

"Since…when?"

"She was rushed there two nights ago…because…" He shook his head. "Just…go see her…she could use a friend right now…"

_Distance Distance _

I rushed to the hospital, ignoring the little voice in the back of my head yelling at me to stop, that I was undoing everything I worked for in the last week.

But I had to make sure he was lying.

Sakura wasn't in the hospital, she couldn't be.

I burst though the hospital doors, gaining the attention of everyone in the room and ran up to the front desk, elbowing an old woman out of my way. "Where the hell is Sakura?" I bellowed, leaning over the counter and grabbing the shoulders of the nurse. "She's not here is she? Tell me she's not fucking here!" I knew I was near hysteria, but I just wanted someone to tell me my pink haired angel wasn't in this place.

Absently my brain registered a dog barking in the background.

But I ignored it.

"Sir!" Her long nails dug themselves into my hands as she tried to pry herself away from my grip.

"Tell me!" I pleaded, my voice cracking. "Tell me she's not here!"

"Sir get a hold of yourself!" She dug her nails further into my skin.

Then I broke down.

I couldn't take anymore.

My body fell forward, pulling the nurse further over the counter.

"Please! Please just…just tell me he was lying…tell me Sakura isn't in here…" I whispered into her shoulder, slumping over the counter. "I…I need to know the truth…"

Surprisingly, the entire room went silent after that and the nurse released one of my wrists to awkwardly pat my shoulder.

"Sir…alright…" She whispered and awkwardly untangled herself from me. "Why don't I escort you to a private room and we'll…talk."

It took a few seconds for what she said to connect with my brain and by that time, she was by my side pulling me towards the back.

"Fuck no!" I growled and yanked my arm out of her grasp. "Just tell me if she's fucking here or not!" I whirled on her, my eye twitching.

I knew I was being a bastard, but I couldn't control myself.

I only wanted answers, not someone to talk to.

The nurse scowled at me but sighed and massaged her forehead. "I'm only trying to be nice! I should have you escorted outside but I'm trying to help you out because clearly you have a problem-"

"A problem? My only goddamn problem is the fact that you won't answer my damn question!"

"Hey Blondie! Your damn puppy just pissed on my leg!" I turned around to see a guy with silver hair slicked back holding Milk up by the scruff of his neck.

"Milk!" I had completely forgotten about Milk in my mad rush to find out about Sakura.

"Here you fucking retard." The guy threw Milk at me, much to my displeasure, and then turned to face the nurse. "Listen Lady; just take this fuck-up to see her alright? The sooner he sees her the sooner he leaves." He glared at me then awkwardly walked out the doors, grunting every time he had to take a step due to Milk pissing on his leg.

_Distance Distance _

So there I stood outside the room Sakura was supposedly in, staring at the white door with the nurse beside me. My skin was hot and cold, I was sweating, and my hands were clammy as I methodically pet Milk's head.

All in all I was not having a fun time.

"Do you perhaps want to go inside?" The nurse spoke, her voice a tad biting.

Though I really couldn't blame her; in the time that I've met her I assaulted her, yelled at her, used her as my metaphorical punching bag, and probably left a few good bruises on her.

Not to mention giving one of the worst headaches she'll possibly ever have.

Yeah, I'd hate my own guts too.

I swallowed thickly and patted the top of Milk's head.

"Sir…" She glanced down the hallway. "Can we please go in now? I really am sticking my neck out for you…" Her eyes slid to Milk.

I heaved a heavy sigh and opened the door.

_Distance Distance _

L.

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	7. Leukemia

L.

Distance 

Chapter 7 Leukemia 

The nurse followed me into the room, shutting the door behind her.

I presume she did that just in case I had another freak out and needed to contain me.

Again, I couldn't blame her.

I wasn't exactly Saint John today.

So there I was, standing at the edge of a darkened room with the nurse tapping incessantly beside me. The blinds were drawn, filtering in the light of the sun, the room was cool and airy, and a body lay prone on the bed.

From where I was standing I couldn't even tell if it was a male or female let alone Sakura.

I took a deep, bracing breath and strode up to the bed, my heart thumping loud in my ears.

There, on the bed fast asleep was Sakura.

She was pale and sweaty, some strands of her long pink hair clung to her forehead and neck. Her breathing was slightly uneven and her face was anything but peaceful. The bed sheets were drawn up under her chin and someone placed a stuffed cat beside her head; as though to keep her company.

To me, she was still beautiful.

Slowly, as though if I moved too fast she'd break, I reached out and gently touched her head.

It was then it really sunk in that she was here.

In the hospital.

I breathed out a shaky sigh and ran my fingers down the side of her face, feeling her cold, clammy, skin.

"Sakura?" I whispered.

"Should I leave you alone for a moment?" The nurse asked, bringing me crashing back down to earth. I shot her a look over my shoulder and shook my head. "No…no I'm…" I glanced back down at the girl lying on the hospital bed, my heart aching at the sight. "What's wrong with her?" I asked, my voice wavering as I withdrew my hand, fingers curing into a fist.

"You mean you don't know?" She sounded shocked.

I turned to face her, both hands clenched at my sides. "No. So tell me." My gaze locked with Milk's who sat on the floor, staring back at me.

The nurse shifted uncomfortably and rubbed her arms. "Look I don't think I should be the one to tell you…"

"Just fucking say it will you? Is she going to be alright? Will she need surgery?"

There was a pregnant pause before she finally relented. "Sakura has…cancer…Leukemia to be exact…"

Awkward silence.

My brain was slow to process the information.

Sakura has Leukemia?

Sakura had Leukemia.

Sakura had Leukemia!

Holy shit! That's fucking serious!

"Leukemia? Isn't that…that makes her more vulnerable to diseases right?" My mind immediately went into overdrive and I began to back away from Sakura. "Like a cold or something! Why did you let me in?"

My head snapped to the side as I began looking for disinfectant. "Where the hell is the Purell?" Now I had plastered myself against the door, my body flashing hot and cold as I stared at Sakura's motionless form.

"Sir-" The nurse walked in front of me, her hands held up in surrender as she kept glancing over her shoulder to look at Sakura.

"Get me the fuck out of here and clean this room! I'm covered with animal shit!" Just then Milk yipped and nuzzled my leg. "Milk!" I bent down and picked him up before awkwardly opening the door and backing out of the room. "I was in a goddamn animal hospital all fucking day! I have animal…shit all over me!"

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I was making a scene and I should calm down but I couldn't.

Seeing Sakura there on the bed, pale and sweaty and then hearing that she had Leukemia sent me over the edge.

My back hit the wall and my knees gave out.

"Sir, come on get up your causing a scene." Someone grabbed my shoulder and hefted me up, but all I could see was Sakura's long pink hair, fanned out around her head, greasy and sticky with sweat.

Vaguely I knew I was walking and Milk was biting my hand but it didn't connect to my brain.

I was lost.

My mind was blank.

All that I could think about was Sakura and how she was feeling.

How much pain she was in.

And why did something so horrible, happen to such a sweet girl.

_Distance Distance _

"Naruto really?" I looked up to see Sasuke glaring down at me. He was one of my closest friends, and the type of guy that kept to himself, but would save your ass in the end.

If he saw fit.

And it didn't fuck up his schedule.

Lucky for me he had a soft spot for me and would drop whatever the hell he was doing to save my ass.

Though he would usually give me a lecture after.

"Hey Sasuke…thanks man." I sighed and shifted in my seat.

We were seated outside the hospital on a bench; well to be more exact I was sitting and he was standing in front of me, pissed off and gearing up for another lecture.

"Naruto, you almost got your ass arrested in a hospital. Why?" He was using his petulant child tone with me.

I scowled and stared down at Milk who was seated between my feet on the concrete. "I was causing a scene…or so I was told." I muttered miserably then reached down to pat Milk's head.

Sasuke sighed and began to pace up and down in front of me. "You're damn lucky that nurse stuck her neck out for you and convinced security not to arrest you before I got here." He grumbled. "Why were you causing a commotion in the middle of a hospital anyway? And why the hell do you have a puppy?" He stopped in front of me to stare down at Milk.

I chuckled dryly, picked up Milk and held him up to see Sasuke. "Milk this is Sasuke, Sasuke this is Milk." I took one of Milk's paws and held it out for Sasuke to shake.

Sasuke just stared down at the puppy before shaking his head. "When did you get him?" He folded his arms across his chest.

I shrugged and pulled Milk into my lap and began to scratch behind his ears. "Kiba gave him to me this morning."

"Kiba gave you a puppy to take care of? Did he take stupid pills this morning?" He scowled. "Come on you're giving the dog back." Then he turned around and began to walk in the direction of the car park.

I stood up and began to follow him. "I'm not giving Milk back. And he's a puppy not a dog."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are Naruto. You can't take care of an animal-you just barely take care of yourself."

"Shut up, who the hell are you to judge me? I can take care of Milk just fine."

"Oh yeah? Did you feed the puppy yet?" He looked over his shoulder with one eyebrow raised.

I paused to think. Did I feed Milk yet?

Not that I can remember.

And he didn't eat anything back at the hospital either.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

"Why were you in the hospital in the first place?" Sasuke's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

That sent a new wave of emotions threw me.

Immediately my brain sent me a picture of Sakura, lying there cold, motionless on the hospital bed. I felt sick at the thought of her being there all alone, fighting something so horrible.

I swallowed thickly.

"Hey Sasuke…tell me everything you know about Leukemia."

_Distance Distance _

L.

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	8. Questions

L.

Distance 

Chapter 8 Questions 

Instead of forcing me to go back to the animal hospital and return Milk to Kiba, Sasuke dragged me over to his place; which was a house.

A very large house.

A house so damn huge, it made all the other houses around it cry in shame.

He also owned a beach house, in case you were wondering.

Sasuke was a real estate agent so of course; he kept the best places for himself.

This guy owns property all around the fucking world.

Lucky for me, he usually lets me tag along when he vacations.

Anyway, we were seated out on the back deck, staring out at his in-ground pool, Heineken in one hand and sandwiches in the other. Milk was happily running around the large yard, stopping every once in awhile to drink or eat from the bowls Sasuke had put out for him.

Sasuke wasn't saying much, and I was not about to break the silence for another lecture. After awhile though, the inevitable happened. "Naruto is there something you want to tell me?"

I glanced at him. "What?"

He turned to face me then asked, point black. "Do you have Leukemia?"

"What? No! Why the hell would you think that?" Why would he think that? I wasn't the one lying in the hospital in pain!

"Because you just fucking asked me about it!" He bellowed at me, dropping his beer on the ground.

Then realization began to sink in.

Me causing a commotion in the hospital.

The nurse standing up for me.

Him being called.

Me asking about cancer.

In his brain, the only reasonable explain was that I had just found out that I have Leukemia and flipped the shit out.

I sat up straighter and kicked his beer bottle away. "Oh-well I was just asking for the sake of asking man! You were the one that automatically presumed I was asking for myself." I shrugged and looked at Milk who was making his way over to us, stopping to sniff at the grass every few paces.

Beside me, Sasuke bit into his sandwich with a scowl on his face, chewed, then swallowed. "So who has Leukemia then?" He asked gruffly.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye then sipped my beer to cover a smile.

He was really worried I had cancer, which to be honest, touched me.

I sighed. "This girl I know."

"Ah." Was all the response he gave.

That was Sasuke.

He cared about me but didn't give a rats ass about anyone else.

Milk had made his way up to us and began sniffing Sasuke's beer bottle on the ground, it was still half full so he began to lap at it. "No Milk!" I jumped up, careful not to drop my beer handed Sasuke my sandwich and picked Milk up with one hand. "Bad Milk." I reprimand him as I sat back down. "Beer is now for puppies."

"I still can't fucking believe you got a dog." Sasuke stated simply.

I shrugged. "Milk's cool man, just give him a chance."

He shook his head. "I have nothing against dogs-I have something against you having a dog."

"What?" What the hell did he mean by that?

He shrugged and began to eat my sandwich. "I mean, you can't be trusted to take care of an animal. What the hell was Kiba thinking?"

I patted the top of Milk's head as he licked my wrist. "That he could trust me unlike you?"

"Maybe he thought you were someone else and mistakenly gave you him?" He asked slyly?

"Oh fuck off-so you going to tell me about it or what?"

"Tell you about what?"

"The cancer-Leukemia?"

"Oh." He shrugged then reached beside him and opened a cooler to pull out another beer. "I don't know much about it."

"Well tell me what you do know. Anything will help."

"Okay okay." He popped open the can-he took a can this time- took a sip then began. "What I do know is that there are several types of Leukemia-not just one or two-and each one affects a different demographic. Such as children only get one type, adults another; one only affects some people over a certain age. You can usually tell when a person has it though-they are generally very weak, get injured easily, almost always sick and very skinny." He took another sip of beer. "But don't quote me on this. "I might have some medical books down in my library. Why not look and see?"

_Distance Distance _

I spent the night at Sasuke's; he had several guest bedrooms but one especially set aside for me because, well to be honest I don't actually know.

I suppose over the years, I just grew on him.

The room was fucking huge to say the least.

I had my one on-suite bathroom-which is always a plus- balcony, walk-in closet, and the bed; holy shit the bed was king sized, complete with an intricately carved headboard and matching end tables and orange and white bedding.

Needless to say, I was more than happy to spend the night.

He had also set aside a spot for Milk.

It was a little doggy bed with a blanket. Beside it sat a water bowl.

Despite all his griping about Milk, I knew he didn't mind. He seemed to take to Milk almost as well as I did.

Which was a good thing in case I ever needed a puppy sitter.

I went to bed at around eleven pm but couldn't fall asleep.

Despite what Sasuke had told me about it, my mind couldn't rest easy. I still wanted to know more, understand the cancer better.

Maybe I would take him up on his offer about the books.

Some light reading on the subject couldn't hurt could it?

What I still couldn't figure out was that Deidara guy.

Why did he tell me?

What was his deal?

Why did he look so…what was the word? Haggard?

_Distance Distance _

L.

I apologize for the short chapter; unfortunately I was minimally electrocuted twice and still am a bit out of it.

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Review.

Continue?

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	9. Research

L.

Distance 

Chapter 9 Research 

The next morning, I woke up to Milk licking my foot.

When I finally gathered enough energy to open my eyes, the first thing I saw was the ground. And then Milk's jumping around as he happily licked my foot that was hanging off the edge of the bed. I sighed completely contented, then flipped over, reveling in the cooling sensation of the sheets against my skin.

It was Sunday morning.

That I was sure about.

What the exact hour was I couldn't say.

I laid there for a few minutes, staring up at the clean, spotless white ceiling and listened to Milk yip and jump. He was trying to jump onto the bed but he was too short.

Either that or the bed was too high.

Sakura was still on my mind and I was still determined to find out more information about Leukemia.

What I wasn't sure about was if I was going to go back and see her.

I mean I nearly fucking lost it in the hospital and she wasn't even awake.

What if when I go back, she was?

Was I supposed to know about the cancer?

Would we even classify as friends in her mind that made me entitled to know?

Or even acquaintances?

I groaned and rolled over onto my side to stare out at the still drawn curtains. Obviously nobody, not even the maid, has been in my room.

I wanted to go back and see Sakura, but I didn't want to do it alone. I couldn't take Milk, but Kiba was a possibility if Sasuke puppy-sat.

"Naruto! You up yet?" Sasuke's voice was muffled though the door but complexly devoid of any remnants of sleep.

It was clear that he had been up for hours.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." I answered back, kicking the covers off of me then jumping out of bed.

Sasuke wasn't usually one to bother with his house guests. He generally left them to their own devices; wonder around his property, watch movies or whatever. But with me, well let's just say he kept a close eye on me.

Lest I break into his private office or something.

Which I did.

Accidently.

Anyways I walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower, knowing that as soon as I walked into the shower, the maid was going to go into the bedroom, open up the windows, make up the bed, and lay out my clothing.

She would also put Milk out to relieve himself before he shits on Sasuke's carpet.

And feed him.

Sometimes I really envy the son-of-a-bitch.

Being rich really makes life a lot easier.

At least on this side of the fence it looks like it.

_Distance Distance_

So I finished my shower ten minutes later and found that the maid had laid out a simple black long sleeved shirt and blue jeans. I put it on quickly, not bothering to dry my hair instead I just let it drip onto my shoulders and then went down stairs to the absurdly large linoleum kitchen to find Sasuke sitting at the extended counter top nursing a mug of coffee with Milk beside him.

"Nice of you to join us." He greeted.

"So what type of dog is he anyway?" Sasuke stared at Milk sitting atop the barstool beside him.

"I think Kiba said he was a…Pembroke Welsh Corgi…some type of herding dog?" I answered, pouring myself a mug of coffee.

Sasuke snorted a chuckle. "Perfect for you…the dogs going to be more responsible than you."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean," He enunciated the word 'mean' "That, if I remember correctly-which I usually do- they are one of the more intelligent dogs. They're easy to train and are loyal-which you probably already noticed right?"

A blank look came across my face.

Sasuke sighed, took a sip in his coffee, and then continued. "They tend to follow their owners where ever they go. You must have noticed him following you right?"

Now that I thought about Milk did immediately follow me-even when I accidentally forgot about him at the hospital.

I looked down at Milk's black eyes staring back up at me then reached a hand forward to scratch behind his ears.

"Now that you mention it…" I trailed off, watching Milk lean into my hand and nuzzle his nose.

_Distance Distance_

We sat in the kitchen for another half an hour, eating the breakfast he forced me to make and just shot the breeze.

After he ate, he disappeared upstairs for a few minutes then came back down dressed in a suit.

"You going somewhere?" I asked, sipping my third cup of coffee and picked Milk up off of the stool and placed him in my lap?"

"Yeah…make me a cup will ya?"

I grunted, but still reached over and made him a quick cup of coffee and sat it on the edge of the counter for him to reach.

Sasuke pulled at the knot of the tie to settle it against the collar of his crisp blue shirt then grabbed his double lapel jacket off the back of the chair. "I need to get to work now. Need to show some guy a house that his wife will like."

I raised an eye brow at him, watching as he put on the jacket then picked up his briefcase. "What?" In my lap, Milk yipped and hopped up on the counter to watch Sasuke.

"Oh his wife wants a bigger house with more land-preferably one with a pool and garden. So I'm meeting the husband to show him some properties. With luck he'll choose the second one and I can leave early today."

I snorted into my breakfast. "Eager to come back home to me are you?" I teased.

Too bad he wasn't in a good mood and opted to glare holes into my head while he finished his cup of coffee. "I will be back. Do not destroy my house. And watch that goddamn dog of yours. I don't like him on my counter."

I scowled. "He's a puppy." But I still took Milk off the counter and held him in my lap.

"Because I give a flying fuck what he is." And with that said, he strode out of the kitchen and left.

"But its Sunday!" I yelled, wondering if he'd even hear me.

He did.

"Some people's work actually requires working!"

I frowned.

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Keep that dog off my counter! I eat there!"

_Distance Distance_

After Sasuke left, I decided to see what he had in his library.

The library was fucking huge to say the least.

As soon as Milk and I entered the room, he set out on his mission to sniff every available surface then opted to stake out one of the comfiest chairs and lounged there, napping and licking his nose while I looked around, searching for his medical section.

Sasuke's library wasn't just a room filled with random books he bought over the years.

Nope, it was a legitimate library.

Filled with books of every topic you can think of.

So after about ten minutes, I found the medical section.

It was against the back wall near the double windows that had a view of the garden.

I found several books and flipped though them, but eventually settled on two. One was an encyclopedia on Cancer and the other Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families.

I wasn't sure exactly what type she had, but I thought it was best to know how I should act around her when next I saw her. I mean, I knew she wouldn't want to be treated like a breakable doll, but right now, that's how I saw her.

A beautiful, fragile doll that could break at any given second.

But obviously she didn't want to be treated that way.

No one would.

Even when you're sick and dying, you want to be treated as a person, not a delicate little china doll.

_Distance Distance_

I sat in the library reading till Sasuke came back home, and in that time I learned a lot.

But nothing quenched my thirst to find about Sakura specifically.

The only option I had left was to go to the hospital myself and talk to her, face to face.

"Naruto?" I heard Sasuke call as soon as the front door opened.

Milk woke up at the sound and began to yip and jump around, absolutely excited about something. So I stood up, stretched and placed the two books on the coffee table then walked over to the closed door where Milk was running around in a circle whining.

When I opened the door, Milk darted out yipping and panting all the way down the stairs and down the hall until he found Sasuke.

"I figured you wouldn't cook." Sasuke muttered as soon as he saw me.

He stood at the counter with two brown bags.

I walked in and took the stool across from him.

"I brought Chinese food." He stated, emptying the bags. "Milk." He looked down where Milk sat patiently, wagging his tail, tongue flopped out of him mouth.

He was obviously thirsty from running around but he didn't want to leave.

"Your food is over there." Sasuke pointed out on the patio. "Go eat."

Milk stared at him for three more seconds before he ran off and lapped at his water bowl.

"He likes you." I grinned, popping open the white box he placed in front of me, my mind already wondering how long it will take for me to convince him to take Milk for the day.

Sasuke snorted and sat down on the stool opposite me. "I'm not dog sitting." He muttered, reading my mind.

"He's a puppy."

_Distance Distance_

L.

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	10. PuppySitter

L.

Distance 

Chapter 10 Puppy-Sitter

That evening I decided I wanted to visit Sakura. Problem was, Milk wasn't technically allowed in the hospital. So that meant I had to find someone to watch him for a few hours.

"Please watch him?" I was currently following Sasuke around his house, begging him to watch Milk for me.

"Why?"

He was currently in the designated guest area looking for a book.

"Because I want to go to the hospital and see the girl I told you about." I watched as he scanned the books lining the shelves with mild interest.

"Oh."

"So will you do it?"

"No."

He wasn't interested in helping me out.

Again.

"Please? Please?"

"I said no Naruto."

"But why not? He'll be a good dog!"

"How can you possibly know that? You've had him for what? A day?" He gave me one of those How-Stupid-Do-I-Look-To-You faces.

I thought for a second. "Just about. So will you do it?"

"No. I told you I will not dog-sit your dog. You wanted him, you deal with the responsibility."

I sighed. He had a point.

But that wasn't going to stop me.

"But Sasuke…he likes you!" I pointed down at Milk who was following us around from room to room.

Sasuke glanced down at him and rolled his eyes. "I don't care. I told you I'm not going to watch your dog for you."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said no."

"…That's a shit reason."

"I don't care."

"Please Sasuke? Pretty please?" I grabbed his arm and began tugging on it like a petulant child, which sometimes worked and sometimes got me a punch to the jaw.

I was hoping it would work.

"Are you a fucking baby? No!" He shrugged me off and walked back into the kitchen, hands swinging. "Have Kiba do it."

That lit a light bulb in my head. "Good idea!" I trailed after him and leaned on the counter. "Suppose I'll go ask Kiba." I bent down and scooped Milk up into my arms and cuddle him to my chest. "Say goodbye Milk."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me. "You're leaving?" He asked a tad disappointed.

He didn't have guests often and as much as he would hate to admit it, he liked having me around.

I shrugged. "Yeah. I need someone to watch Milk for me plus I have work in the morning." With that said, I left the kitchen.

"Alright." He sighed. "Give me a call and let me know how it goes with that girl?" He called after me.

I smiled a bit. No matter how much of an ass he is, he does care.

Just a little bit.

"Sure." I opened the front door and stepped out into the early afternoon sun.

_Distance Distance _

"Hey Kiba!" I yelled as I walked through the front doors of the animal hospital and came face to face with a highly annoyed Temari filing some paperwork. "Hi Temari." I greeted and picked up one of Milk's paws to wave at her.

"Don't hi me." She glared. "You know what, I'm not even going to waste my breath. He's in his office." She eyed Milk as though he were the ugliest thing she ever laid eyes on. "He better not shit on my floor."

I snorted. "I thought this was Kiba's floor." I muttered but went on in my search for Kiba. As they say, a woman scorned or…whatever.

So I walked down the familiar path to Kiba's office with Milk in my hands yipping happily. I barged into his office; the door was half open anyways. "Hey Kiba." I greeted and set Milk down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. "What's going on?"

"I should be asking you that." He snorted as he came around to slap me on the back. "How are you man? Temari told me about Deidara? What's going on?"

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "A lot. Too much to talk about right now. But I do need a favor from you."

He leaned back and squinted at me. "It's not anything weird is it…"

"Nah…just need you to watch Milk for awhile." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Milk carefully leap off of the chair and tumbled onto the ground. He then rolled onto his back, laid there for a minute stunned, then rolled onto his stomach.

"Why?"

"I…" I heaved a heavy sigh. "Look its nothing illegal. I'll tell you about it later. I promise man."

Kiba snorted at me in disappointment. "Okay okay I'll watch Milk for you."

We stood there for a few seconds, just taking in the silence before I broke it. "Hey Kiba…I just noticed but why doesn't he have a tail?" I asked, staring at Milk's butt as he leaped from in front of me to the spot in front of Kiba.

"Oh, he's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They're born without them." With that said, he stooped down and picked up Milk. "Well you better get going man. After four hours I'm going to start charging you."

I nodded and turned to face his door. "Oh by the way, Sasuke doesn't approve of me having Milk so if he stops by asking to…I don't know…but Milk is mine. Got it?"

He chuckled before nodding. "Got it."

_Distance Distance_

When I arrived at the hospital, it was just after two in the afternoon. The place wasn't all that busy and I only got lost twice on the way to Sakura's room. I didn't stop to ask directions, for fear of being recognized by any of the staff.

So once again, I stood staring at the door that divided Sakura and me.

Despite all of the pep talks I had on the way over, my heart still pounded and my ears still rung.

To say the least, I was nervous.

After about thirty seconds of debating with myself, I opened the door and walked in. Inside, lying on the bed sat Sakura; staring back at me with confusion, relief, and something I couldn't name.

"Naruto?" She spoke wearily.

I just stood there and nodded.

"Are you okay? Come in and shut the door. Have a seat?" She shifted until her back rested against the pile of pillows then looked at me expectantly.

I cleared my throat, closed the door and walked until I was at the foot of her bed. "Hi Sakura." I mumbled nervously. In hindsight I should have brought her something.

Like flowers.

Or a stuffed bear.

Anything.

Awkwardly, I shoved my hands in my pockets and chewed on my lower lip. "I'm sorry…I didn't think to bring anything…like a card or…balloons…or something…" At this point my eyes were glued to the outline of her feet under the white sheets.

She laughed softly and the sound seemed too much for her. I looked up at her to see her shoulders shook and she turned a pale color.

"Are you okay?" I nearly dove for the door but kept my ground.

"I'm fine." She raised a shaky, pale hand at me. "Its fine, don't worry about it…why are you here?"

I tilted my head and glanced out the window in a pathetic attempt to look cool. "Your boyfriend Deidara told me." I stated, trying to look nonchalant about it. "I decided I should come and see you. You know, since you're in the hospital and…in the hospital."

I was about to say 'because you have Leukemia' but I thought I should play it like I knew nothing.

I wanted to know if it were up to her, would she tell me herself.

I knew that we only just met.

And I also knew that something like that was personal.

But despite all of that, deep down I wanted to know that she saw me as someone important enough to know that she had cancer.

_Distance Distance_

L.

If you liked this and would like to receive updates on current and future updates/stories check out the link in my profile.

What did you think?

Review with your opinion please.

Continue?

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	11. Liar

L.

Distance 

Chapter 11 Liar 

Being in the hospital room with Sakura sitting there staring at me was fucking awkward to say the least.

She blushed for a good few seconds before she pointed awkwardly to the chair beside her bed. I took that as an invitation to sit.

So sit I did.

"He did, did he?" She stared down at her long, pale fingers in resting in her lap. "Thanks for coming though it wasn't necessary…"

I crossed one leg over the other and studied her. Her long pink hair hung limp over her shoulders, her face was sickly pale and hollow, she had dark, stressed circles under her eyes and she-as much as I hate to say it-had a smell of death around her.

That last one scared the living shit out of me.

Of all things, death?

And I know the smell of death all too well.

It's dark, depressing, and hollow.

As though all the happiness has been sucked right out and stuffed into a box; never again to see the light of day.

As I looked at Sakura, at her sickly beauty, my heart constricted.

I thought I just might collapse right there and then.

Just the thought that death was looming near was enough to send me into hyperventilation.

"Naruto?"

I blinked a few times before nodding at her, buying myself a few seconds to remember what it was exactly we were talking about. "Yeah but…you're in the hospital-and you were trying to get in touch with me…so what are you in here for? Your boyfriend didn't exactly give me any details." I leaned back in the chair and casually folded my hands on my stomach.

I wanted to appear calm and cool.

Play it like I knew absolutely nothing except for what she was going to say.

She turned so that she was profile to me and slowly pulled one knee up to her chest. "Oh…" She tucked one strand of hair behind her ear. "What did he say?"

"Not much really…not much at all except that you were here. In the hospital. And that you may need a friend right about now." I watched her closely to see how she would react.

To my amazement, she laughed.

I mean she really fucking laughed.

So hard that she started a coughing and had to lie back down.

"Here Sakura, drink this." I leaned over and poured her some water from one of the ugliest pitchers I have ever seen.

Really, the hospital couldn't afford more attractive items?

I glanced around after Sakura took the cup and frowned.

Everything in here seemed garish and distasteful.

"Thanks." She mumbled, bringing my attention back to her and off of the dull, floral and teddy bear printed wall décor.

"No problem." I looked at her. "You okay now?"

"Oh yes…yes…happens sometimes when I over-you know what? It doesn't matter. So how are you?" She played with the cup, watching as the little bit of water sloshed about. "I haven't seen you since…in days." She chanced a smile at me.

I didn't return it.

I was really disappointed that she changed the subject.

And the fact that she just laughed in my face.

She was going to keep me at an arm's length.

I understood why, really I did. But it still hurt.

Sort of like when you know for a fact that your girlfriend is no longer interested in you, you confront her about it and tell her it's okay to break up, she insists that she still loves you, and then two days later you catch her in bed fucking the living shit out of the local cashier.

Yeah. It stings like hell.

You were expecting it, but somehow deluded yourself into thinking it was alright.

"Naruto?"

I looked back up into her pale face. "Yeah?"

She bit into her lower lip for a second before looking back at me. "About Deidara…"

"Don't worry about it." I cut her off and shifted uncomfortably. "He's your boyfriend, I was presumptuous. It's fine." I really didn't want to open that door right now; knowing that I lost to some make up wearing freak-well okay I wasn't even in the game- but still, it hurts. "But I do hope you consider me a friend." I leaned forward and folded my hands. "I mean really, being in a hospital is nothing minor-I was worried when I found out."

"Really?"

I almost snorted at her.

Almost.

"Yeah, of course. I consider you one of my friends Sakura." I smiled up at her. I was going to try one more time.

Perhaps I didn't drop enough clues.

"So." I stared right into her emerald orbs. "What happened that you're in here? You don't look injured to me."

At that moment she looked away.

Well more like she whipped her head around so fast I was honestly shocked her neck didn't snap.

"Sakura?" I reached forward to touch her arm but she pulled it away; as though I had fleas.

"Sorry…" She adjusted the sheets around her nervously. "I'm a bit-it's nothing. What I'm in here for I mean." She licked her lips then looked at me, blinking as her long, limp hair fell off of her shoulder to just hang. "They over reacted is all. The stupid flu-you know how that is. Doctors and their…paranoia. They just love to let their imaginations run away with them."

I watched as she rambled on and on, nervously picking at the blankets and glancing at me.

I knew she was lying.

She knew I knew she was lying.

Yet she kept at it.

Fleshing out the story, adding unnecessary bits and pieces to it.

I almost accused her; I almost called her out on it.

But I restrained myself.

She had her reasons for lying to me.

"And Deidara is just exaggerating as well-he worries too much. It's because he can't be here with me all the time that he over reacts and thinks I need a babysitter." She finished and smiled awkwardly at me, hoping that I would buy the story she was selling.

I nodded slowly, one eyebrow raised at her.

"So when is he getting here?"

"Who?"

"Deidara." Who else could I have meant?

"Oh…I don't know…he usually comes around six…"

I frowned, something was wrong with that. "That's not a lot of time…what about visiting hours? He would need to leave-"

"He gets a special exemption." She cut in, blushing.

He gets special treatment?

Why?

What makes him so special?

I worked my jaw but said nothing more on the subject.

The least I know about that guy the better.

"Oh." I glanced at the watch on my wrist, it was almost three thirty-I had about two more hours before Kiba started charging me-but I wasn't too sure I wanted to spend more time in here. I licked my lips and stood up. "You know what, I have to go right now." I smiled down at her.

"You do?" She pouted slightly.

"Yeah." I wasn't sure how to end this.

Do I give her a hug?

Shake her hand?

Kiss her cheek?

"I left my dog at a friends and I need to pick him up." I nodded and shoved my hands into my pockets. "It was lovely to see you." What was I? British?

Hell is this some new part of me that just opened up?

Nervous Naruto equals British wannabe Naruto?

Sakura smiled and nodded then tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. I think that's a habit of hers; touching her hair I mean.

"Well thank you for coming Naruto."

"No problem…would you like me to visit you again?"

She tilted her head to one side and thought for a moment. "It was…nice…if you like I'd like it."

What the hell kind of answer is that?

Was it a yes?

Or a roundabout no?

"…Is that a yes?" I asked, because honestly, thinking about it was giving me a bit of a headache.

"Yes. It's a yes. I would like you to visit me again." She smiled nervously.

"Okay." And with that said, I left.

I left the room, walked down the hallways and into the parking lot.

Sakura didn't consider me enough to tell me herself.

It was obvious.

She lied.

Then again I lied as well.

_Distance Distance_

L.

Check out the link in my profile if you liked this.

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Continue?

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	12. Truth

L.

Distance 

Chapter 12 Truth

I left the hospital and went to Jiraiya's place.

Don't ask why, I just did.

It felt like it was the place I needed to be at that time.

I know, I know bullshit about following your soul or whatever but I did it anyways.

"Why are you here?" Was the wonderful greeting I got as soon as he opened the door.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just am. So can I come in or what?" I looked at him expectantly but I knew for a fact that I had just woken him up. He still wore his pajamas and his hair was anything but combed.

He stared at me for a few seconds before sighing and swinging the door open.

"Come on in."

I walked inside and immediately sat down on his wrap around sofa and kicked my feet up on one of the footstools.

As I relaxed into the cool of the sofa, I heard him shut the door then shuffle over to the kitchen. After a few minutes he walked into the living room holding two mugs of coffee.

"You look like shit." He muttered before sitting beside me and handing me a mug.

I took it. "Excuse me?"

"Alright you look like someone saw your dick, laughed, then walked away." He stated and took a swig of his coffee.

"The fuck?"

"What's going on Naruto?" He looked at me hunched over. "Tell me what's going on."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing's going on."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "I may be old but I'm not stupid." He sighed. "For the last few sessions you've been sulking, upset and downright pissy. Is it that girl you mentioned?"

He hit the nail on the fucking head and won a pot of gold.

I groaned and sunk lower into the sofa, halfheartedly hoping for it to open up and swallow me whole.

But I wanted someone to talk to.

I knew that much; it was probably why I chose to come here instead of going back to Kiba or Sasuke.

"Yeah…it's about the girl."

He nodded and sat back into a couch pillow.

I chanced a glance at him and saw that he no longer looked like the pissy old perverted writer.

He now looked older, wiser and filled with understanding and knowledge he was willing to impart onto me if given the chance.

I continued on. "She…she's in the hospital. She has cancer. Leukemia. We don't really know each other that well-in fact we only talked once really. I shouldn't know she has cancer, she didn't tell me a nurse did when Milk-my dog- pissed on some guy's leg. I just came from visiting her and I was hoping she'd tell me herself but she didn't. Not that I blame her I mean she has a fucking boyfriend but I just thought that-well I don't know what I thought but still…" It all came out in a rush.

A jumble of words and feelings that made no sense and had no order.

It was just words upon words and thoughts upon thoughts that I regurgitated onto him.

About Sakura, about how we met and what I felt.

About our 'date' and her boyfriend.

I even told him about Milk.

And he said nothing.

He just sat there and nodded.

Letting me get it all out there.

"Is that all?" He asked at the end of my confession.

I hung my head and nodded. I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to see what he thought. I knew what I had gotten myself into was stupid and pointless; I didn't need him to tell me that.

"Well Naruto that is quite a story." He nodded and sipped at his coffee.

Mine had long since gotten cold but I still took a sip, hoping it would settle the churning sensation that had developed in the pit of my stomach.

"Do you want my advice?"

I thought for a moment.

Did I want his advice?

Did I want to hear what he had to say?

Or was I just contented to tell him my problems and walk away like nothing happened?

"Tell me."

He nodded, sighed, and then turned to face me fully. "I think you should support this girl even if she doesn't tell you herself that she has cancer. From what I understand you two aren't exactly close enough to warrant that sort of trust. But at a time like this, she can use all the friends and support she can get. In time she may tell you, or she may never tell you. The point is that you, Naruto feel something for this woman and you should follow that feeling."

"She has a boyfriend." I butted in.

"So? Is this about her or her boyfriend?" He sent me a look. "You know she has cancer. You should be there for her. What if she takes a turn for the worst? Don't you want to be there for her?"

I snorted.

"What if she died? Can you live with the fact that you had the opportunity to be by her side but you gave it up because she had a boyfriend?"

I looked away from him.

Could I live with that?

Or would I regret it for the rest of my life?

Was it worth it; to be at her side as a friend, instead of not at all?

_Distance Distance_

"Kiba where's Milk?" Was the first thing I asked when I entered the animal hospital at five fifteen.

"Naruto is that you?" His muffled voice came from somewhere down the hall.

"Who else would barge in here like they own the fucking place?" Temari answered him for me.

"Enough Temari." He glared at her when he appeared in the lobby, pulling off his hair covered apron and tossing it on the ground. "You don't own this place either so show some level of respect."

She scoffed and stood up to look down at the apron he tossed aside. "Don't toss your clothes about like it's a goddamn stripper shop!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Stripper shop?"

Before they got into another one of their verbal brawls that I knew was coming I decided to jump in. "Where's Milk?"

Kiba turned to face me and grinned. "Sleeping." He brushed off some hair clinging to his gray sweater then motioned for me to follow him back to his office. "Been that way for about an hour. He only woke up when I brought him some food." He opened his door then shut it after we both walked in. "Seems to taking one hell of a liking to you man."

I grinned and kneeled down to see Milk napping under his desk.

"Milk." I whispered.

His nose twitched.

"Milk." I tried again. This time he opened his eyes to look at me, blinked a few times, then jumped up yipping happily. "Come here boy!" I held out my hands for him to leap into then cuddled him close to my chest. "How are you Milk? Did you have fun?"

It was then Kiba clapped me on the back and moved to sit in his chair. "I never thought I'd see you this attached to anything." He laughed. "Have a seat man. You said you'd tell me what the hell was going on."

I did promise him didn't I?

I shrugged and sat down with Milk in my lap happily licking at my hand, mentally preparing myself to retell the story.

He deserved to know the truth anyway.

"Well…alight I should start at the beginning huh?"

"That'd be a good place."

"Okay well you know Sakura and how she has a boyfriend?"

He nodded.

"Well turns out she also has cancer."

That shot his eyebrows up into his hair line. Which was at least funny to watch. "Really? Holy shit man…" He shook his head in disbelief. "I had no idea…but that explains a lot I suppose…man that's fucking…whoa…"

I nodded and made a face at Milk who was starting too nibbled halfheartedly on my hand.

"Yeah well…that's where I went today-to see her in the hospital."

"How was she?"

"Not good."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Is she on chemo? I hear that it's tough-being on the drugs I mean."

I shrugged. "I don't know…"

"Oh…guess you avoided the subject huh?"

"More like she didn't tell me."

"What?"

I sighed and shrugged. "She didn't tell me herself she has cancer."

"Then how the hell did you find out? What did you steal her files or something?"

I snorted. I had to admit that it sounded like something I would do. "No…a nurse told me."

"Now how the hell did you get her to do that?" He made a slightly disappointed face at me. I can only image what he thought I did.

"By having a nervous breakdown in front of her." I avoided his eyes and instead opted to stare at his plaques behind him.

"We haven't spoken seriously in a while have we." He derided and leaned back in his chair.

I chucked dryly. "Suppose not."

"Continue! I want to know man. Really."

"Well yeah I had a nervous breakdown sorta, the nurse felt bad, told me, then Sasuke picked me up at the hospital."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Sasuke? Alright…is that it? Or is there something else I should know about you?"

I grunted and scratched the top of Milk's head. "Yeah. I think her boyfriend is weird and she can do better."

"Like you?"

I grinned up at him. "Yeah. Like me. I would treat her better than he ever could."

Kiba shook his head at me in that tired, older, wiser way. "Naruto my friend, you have a lot to learn."

I ignored him in favor of thinking back to what Jiraiya had said earlier about me regretting distancing myself from Sakura because of her boyfriend.

Then I thought back to Deidara and how he was the one that told me to go to the hospital.

Maybe I had him all wrong.

He probably knows something I don't.

But since he is her boyfriend, he must know she had cancer; so why tell me to go see her?

What's really going on?

What is his game?

I sighed heavily and slouched down lower into the chair.

So many fucking questions and hardly any answers.

But I did know one thing; I would regret it if I distanced myself from Sakura.

That much I was certain about.

Just then Milk bit into my forefinger. "Ouch! Bad Milk!" I gently tapped his nose and inspected my finger. It was bleeding. "No. No biting. Biting is bad."

"Here, let's clean it out and get you a bandage." Kiba stood up.

I looked down at Milk who stared at me with big, apologetic eyes and smiled.

I was also certain that I loved Milk.

_Distance Distance_

L.

What did you think?

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	13. Understanding

L.

Distance 

Chapter 13 Understanding 

I woke up the next morning with Sakura still on my mind. But I was still indecisive about when I was going to visit her again. Should I give it a few days?

And Deidara, he was still popping into my mind.

There was just something about him I didn't understand.

I went to work delivering everyone's post, and by the time I got to Sakura's house, my decision was made. That evening as soon as I got off work, I would ditch Jiraiya and go to the hospital instead. I was going to find out more about this Deidara guy. Despite my obvious dislike of the man, I needed to talk to him.

One on one.

And I was pretty sure someone in the hospital would know something about him.

Why else would he be getting special treatment?

_Distance Distance _

So around lunch I finished up, dropped Milk off at Kiba's animal hospital, and then made my way over to the hospital. When I arrived, it was busy.

Everywhere I looked there was nurses' running back and forth, doctors being paged, and patients moaning in pain.

I was beginning to lose hope in finding anything out.

"Hey you're the asshole from before."

I looked to my side to see the same silver haired man from before leaning up against the wall sipping a can of soda. He was the one Milk pissed on.

"Yeah." I jerked my head in acknowledgement. "And I'm not an asshole. But thanks for the help man."

He snorted at me. "What are you doing here? Didn't you already get what you want?"

This guy was fucking nosey.

But if he was willing to help me again I sure as hell wasn't going to piss on it.

I walked up and leaned against the wall beside him. "Yeah…who are you anyways?"

"Name's Hidan dipshit. I'm a student doctor."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Student doctor?" Did I have stupid tattooed on my face? There's no way this guy is a student.

"Don't judge me Blondie. You don't know me." He glared down at me.

Then I decided to actually look at him; he was wearing scrubs, and easy shoes, he had a surgical mask tied around his neck and stained gloves hanging out of one pocket. He was a doctor-of some sort. "Right right. Sorry man. Hey what can you tell me about some guy named Deidara?"

He stared at me for a few seconds drinking his soda before finally shrugging. "He's cool. Pretty hot-headed but nice. He's dating some pink haired girl named Sakura."

"He's not fucking cool-he's an arrogant son of a bitch who needs to pu-"

"Calm down you overactive idiot." He sneered at me. "Give the guy a break. He's dying."

That caught my attention.

Dying?

"What are you talking about?" I looked up at him to see him crush the empty soda can in his hand.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "He's fucking dying what do you think it means?"

"I don't fucking know!"

This guy was starting to piss me off.

Yeah he helped me before but now he was just acting like a pompous prick.

"He has cancer. He's dying. His body can't fight it anymore. Even the chemo isn't working-it's actually killing him." He looked over at me. "Do you understand now? Or should I fetch the flashcards?" He tossed the soda can into the garbage bin in front of us. "He's in room 307. Do you need me to show you the way?"

I stared down at my feet.

Holy shit.

Could I be any more of an asshole?

The guy has cancer and I kept-

"Hey!" I looked up to see him glaring down at me. "If you start freaking the shit out I won't hesitate to call security."

I took a deep, calming breath and nodded. "Thanks man…really thanks. Can I go see him now?"

"Yeah." He still looked at me skeptically, probably trying to see if I was going to flip out again.

I was going to walk away, but turned back to face him. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because you're a self centered fuck up that needs to learn a few things in the world before you can actually grow up. You're a spoiled prick who never got slapped in the face by reality." He pushed himself off the wall. "I'm just thinking that after this, when this whole ordeal is over, you'll have a bit more consideration for your fellow human beings." With that said, he left. He just walked down the hall and disappeared into the mess of patients.

_Distance Distance _

Even as I walked towards Deidara's room, there was a voice in my head screaming at me to turn around and run. Part of me wanted to leave without seeing him, without pitying him, without acknowledging the fact that he was a dying man.

But another part of me needed to see that man Sakura saw in him.

I knew the connection the two of them had.

It was something I would never have.

They both had cancer.

They were both fighting a losing battle.

They were trapped in an irrevocable link forged by a horrible situation.

I took a deep breath; shut my eyes and opening the door.

"Hey who the fuc-Naruto?" I slowly opened one eye to see Deidara sitting up in bed staring at me. He didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem pleased either. "What are you doing here?" He frowned.

I walked inside and shut the door behind me.

"Hi." I muttered, not too sure how thin of an ice I was walking on. "How are you?"

"Been better. What are you doing here?" He was keeping me at a distance. Not that I blame him, I wouldn't exactly welcome myself either.

"Preparing for a pie eating contest what else?" I raised an eyebrow at him and leaned against the wall. "I know you have cancer."

An awkward, tense silence built between us.

He stared at me, sizing me up, calculating me.

Seeing if I was worthy or not of the truth.

I stared back at him, really taking him in; he was thinner than before, paler too. His long blonde hair now hung in limp clumps and he had dark, sick bags under his eyes. His nose was too prominent on his hollow face and his hands looked too big without any fat.

He was literally, just skin and bones.

I knew from Hidan that he was on chemo; but I had no idea that it would have such a drastic effect on him.

He no longer looked like the confident son of a bitch I knew.

Don't get me wrong, he still had an annoying arrogant 'shove it up your ass' look about him but he was pitiful.

"Well I can't deny it now." He sighed and relaxed back into his bed then motioned for me to have a seat. "Yes. I have cancer. Leukemia to be exact." He sent me a knowing look. "The same as Sakura-don't deny that you don't know. The nurse told me that she told you."

I bristled as I sat down in the chair beside him bed.

Suddenly, we had an understanding.

I don't know what it is, but we had one.

"She doesn't know that I'm dying." He stated.

I looked at him funny.

"Don't be an ass. I mean she doesn't know that I'm here in the hospital."

Now I understood! That was why the visitors things didn't apply to him-he would dress in his street clothes in the evening and go to her room then come back and-

"You probably already put two and two together haven't you? You aren't stupid. Unfortunately. But yes I dress normally and go visit her. But since the treatment has stopped working and my health had been on a steady decline, I'm sad to say she's starting to realize something is wrong."

"Tell her. She's going to start stressing herself out over-"

"I will not and neither will you." He grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me forward so that we were face to face.

For a sick dying man he had a lot of strength.

Or so I thought.

He started coughing and the heart monitor flipped the shit out.

I didn't know what to do.

He still had my shirt in his grasp and I was on my knees by his bed.

Suddenly a bunch of nurses and doctors burst in.

"Sir, please leave." One nurse grabbed my shoulders to move me, but Deidara still held on. "Sir!"

"Don't yell at me! He's the one holding me here!" I grabbed his thin wrist and regretted it. His skin was cold and clammy.

It made me sick to my stomach.

After two very confusing, hectic, heart pounding minutes, they had him lying on his back with a mask over his face. He was now breathing easier.

He still held my shirt.

And I was still kneeling at his bed.

They all just ignored me and went about whatever the hell it was they needed to do.

"Hey man." I tried to untangle his fingers. It didn't work. "Let me go." I muttered without any vengeance.

I no longer hated him.

In fact, I sort of liked him.

He was a real man-despite the makeup and hair.

"Naruto." The words came out muffled because of the mask. "Don't you dare…fucking tell her…I'll haunt your…sorry ass…if you do…" After that, he released me and fell into a fitful sleep.

I sat back and watched him for a few minutes before I left.

_Distance Distance _

I didn't visit Sakura that day, instead I immediately went to Kiba's, picked up Milk and went over to Sasuke's.

He wasn't home when I got there, but it didn't matter. Awhile back he gave me a spare key in case of emergency.

So I let myself in and went about making dinner.

I needed something to do and I didn't want to be home alone.

Sure I had Milk, but I just couldn't face my own place.

Deidara's words and face haunted my brain.

Every once in awhile, I'd remember him. Remember his face, his words and how sick he really and truly was.

But he still had the strength to protect Sakura from the truth.

He wanted her to only focus on herself and get better.

He didn't want her to waste her strength worrying about him.

And I couldn't help wonder, if I were him, would I have the inner strength to do what he's doing?

Could I go it alone? Without the one I love by my side?

I shook my head and turned my attention back to dinner.

I decided to make stir fried noodles and vegetables.

About half an hour later, Sasuke came home and walked into the kitchen. "Rough day?" He asked, removing his jacket and tossing it onto the counter with his briefcase and tie.

"Yeah."

"Making dinner?"

"Yup."

"Need help?"

"Almost done."

"Want a beer?"

"Make it two and set the table." I shut off the stove and emptied the pot into a large dish.

_Distance Distance _

L.

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	14. Gut

L.

Distance 

Chapter 14 Gut

The next day I didn't even bother going to work; I went immediately to the hospital.

I wanted to talk to Deidara.

I needed to.

I left Milk at Sasuke's house for the day and drove to the hospital and soon enough, found myself standing outside Deidara's hospital room.

The door was closed, as per usual and the hallway was relatively clear.

I took a few deep, bracing breaths and knocked then entered without waiting for an answer.

"I should have known it'd be you." He greeted disdainfully. He sat on his bed eating a large healthy breakfast.

"Morning." I greeted and slipped inside.

"You should learn to knock and wait for an answer." He advised, sipping his box of orange juice. After a few silent seconds, he nodded to the chair beside his bed.

I took a seat.

"How are you?" I asked stiffly. I knew he wasn't going to kick me out, but I wasn't too sure how we stood.

He shrugged and picked up a seedless grape and popped it in his mouth. "To be honest-not good."

I looked at him.

I mean really looked at him.

He was even paler than yesterday, his hands shook when he reached for the grapes, his blonde, straggly hair was tangled, clumpy, and an overall mess. He had a sheen of sweat all over his face that dripped down his chin, neck and into his standard white hospital gown.

In short, he looked worse than shit.

He looked like he was at deaths door.

Not exactly something I was happy to observe mind you.

"I broke out with a fever last night." He stated as though he were talking about the fucking weather. "Doctors say I'm too weak to fight it on my own. They're currently trying to find some medication that I can actually hold down."

"Hold down?"

"Yeah. I keep throwing back up everything I take." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I wouldn't sit so close if I were you."

I took that as serious advice and pushed my chair back a bit.

"And if they can't find something?" I voiced the question I knew the answer to.

"I die."

The conversation ended there.

He said nothing further and I asked nothing.

There was a strange feeling after awhile, like a natural calm and quite fell over us.

We had an unspoken understanding that no matter what happened, we had settled our differences.

He respected me and I respected him.

That was that.

I stayed with him, just sitting and keeping him company for about three hours before the doctor came in to do a check up and I was asked to leave.

_Distance Distance_

I decided to wander around the hospital for awhile and clear my head of Deidara before I went to see Sakura. I walked down several patient occupied hallways until I made my way back down to the bottom floor; there I wandered into the absurdly expensive gift shop.

I suppose this is the hospitals way of making you feel bad about not thinking to buy something thoughtful before you came.

It worked.

The snarky bastards.

I walked down the small aisles till I stopped in front of the teddy bear shelves.

They had the standard brown bears with hears and balloons.

I didn't like any of them, I was about to walk back out when a pink thing caught my eye. There, tucked behind a huge, fat bear was a medium sized pink bear holding a tiny get well soon card. It was dressed in a white and yellow dress and a white bonnet. I took it up and stared at it for a bit before deciding to buy it for Sakura.

It looked like something she might like.

It cost twenty-three dollars.

Don't ask me how a fucking bear could cost that much.

Probably the hospitals way of punishing you for not thinking ahead and making you feel like a piece of shit.

I took a pen off of the counter, much to the cashier's annoyance and scribbled my name on the tiny card before leaving.

I didn't bother with gift wrapping or anything, just took the bear as is and made my way up to Sakura.

_Distance Distance_

I knocked on Sakura's door and waited until she said it was okay. I had to admit, Deidara was right about me barging into people rooms, it was rude.

And obnoxious.

After a few seconds, she answered. "Come in."

I opened the door to see her sitting up in bed flipping through a magazine.

"Naruto!" She smiled at me, surprise and what I hope was happiness on her face.

I looked at her, she looked better than the last time I saw her.

Her pale cheeks had a nice flush to it; her skin had a healthier glow, and her emerald eyes held a lively sparkle. "Hi Sakura." I greeted and held out the pink bear to her. "How are you feeling?" I asked as I approached her bed.

Her face lit up at the sight of the bear and she happily took it from my outstretched hand. "I'm doing alright." Her long, slender fingers picked at the bears ears. "How are you? Have a seat."

I took the seat by her bedside and smiled as I watched her poke at the bears nose and tug at the tiny 'get well' card glued to its hand.

"You look good." I blurted out before I could think.

Sometimes I wish my mouth didn't have any liberty at all.

She smiled at my statement and blushed. "Thanks." She whispered and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "I'm getting better. I told Deidara not to worry." She stared down at the bear and let out a light chuckle. "He thinks too much."

The mention of Deidara made my gut wrench.

I paled a bit at the thought of him; lying there alone in bed, in an empty room, his only comfort the sound of the stupid beeping heart machine.

"I think it's good of him to worry about you." I offered weakly and looked out the window.

It was bright out; the sun was shining and happy.

I wanted to punch it.

How dare it be so fucking happy when people were suffering so much?

Deidara was getting worse and Sakura was stuck in the hospital.

Neither able to visit one another.

Well-shit.

What was I doing?

I scowled and hung my head in shame.

Since when did I get so attached to people?

People I hardly even know?

"It's a good and bad thing." She continued on, oblivious to my mini-meltdown. "I mean it's good that he cares…but then he neglects himself…and that's not good for his health."

I looked up at her to see her smiling sadly down at the bear.

"His health isn't very good…" She whispered, caressing the bears face as though it were his. "I'm worried about him Naruto…he hasn't been in to see me…and the last time he was here he looked so…ill…"

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and bit my tongue to stop myself from blurting out what I knew.

It wasn't my place to tell her that he was in the hospital.

He wanted to keep it a secret.

I knew that.

But part of me sensed that time was quickly running out.

But running out for whom?

Something in my gut told me Deidara wasn't going to make it through the night.

I hope I'm wrong.

_Distance Distance_

I spent two hours with Sakura, just sitting, talking about happy, light-hearted pointless things before my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Naruto when are you getting back here? Your fucking dog pissed on my goddamn stair again!"_ Was the wonderful greeting Sasuke gave me.

I rolled my eyes at his drama.

I had more important things on my mind than where Milk decided to relieve himself.

It's funny though, that after all this morbid, seriousness of the day to hear someone complaining about where the dog pissed.

It's like the normal word's problems don't seem as important anymore.

"Then clean it up Sasuke. You know? With a paper towel and disinfectant?"

"_Very fucking funny."_ He derided. _"When are you getting here?"_

I glanced at Sakura to see her idly flipping through the pages of her magazine and twiddling the top of the bear's bonnet. "I don't know…I-"

"_Soon!"_ He growled into the phone and I heard a door slam before he continued. "_You just left your mutt here without asking me!" _

"Because I knew you would let me."

"_I told you I'm not dog sitting!" _

"He's a puppy. And you can deal with him for one night Sasuke."

"_You're not coming here till tomorrow?"_ He asked, all traces of anger vanished from his voice.

I shrugged. "I don't know…some…things are going on."

"_Where the hell are you anyway?"_

"At the hospital."

"_Oh…is it that girl?" _

"I'm not going to talk about it."

"_She's right there isn't she?" _

"Sasuke-"

"_If something's gone wrong its best not to stay there Naruto." _

"You're just saying that because you want me to come and get Milk." I snorted.

"_No. I'm not. I'm saying that because I know you and you'll do something stupid…and probably illegal." _

I sighed and groaned. "Order dinner and I'll pick it up. I'm feeling for Chinese." Then I hung up on him and looked up at Sakura. "That was my friend. He's missing me." I smiled at her. "So I've got to go now."

"Alright." She smiled at me. "Thank you for visiting."

"Not a problem." I stood up. "I'll most likely be back tomorrow."

Her eyes lit up at the thought. "You don-"

"It's fine. I want to. Do you need anything? Like a new magazine or something?"

She glanced down at the worn magazine sitting in her lap and blushed.

"I'll get you a new one before I leave." I nudged her leg with my knuckles before I left.

_Distance Distance_

L.

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	15. Death

L.

Bit of a long chapter. I was really into writing this bit for you all. I do hope you all enjoy it.

Distance 

Chapter 15 Death

Sasuke is a bastard.

That's the only way I can describe him.

I stopped off and picked up the Chinese food he ordered then went over to his place where I found him lying on the sofa with Milk cuddled against his chest.

The asshole wasn't annoyed at Milk, he was just fucking lonely!

Though I would never outright accuse him of this because he would kick me out and probably give Milk back to Kiba just to fuck with me.

"Here. I got dinner." I handed him the bag then took Milk from his arms.

Milk happily yipped and licked my face.

I welcomed the affection as I made my way into the kitchen.

"I'm starving." Sasuke announced from behind me. He placed the brown paper bag on the counter and fetched two plates. "I already fed the dog."

"Alright." I scratched under Milk's chin.

Inside I was grinning.

Milk was growing on Sasuke.

Pretty soon he'd want to have Milk move in with him.

"So how's the girl?" Sasuke asked as he began to unpack the food and divide it between us.

I shrugged. "Better."

"That's good."

"Yeah…but…"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "But what?"

"You know-well no you don't know but there's this guy and he also has cancer but he's not doing too well."

He paused for a second to look up at me. "That sucks man, really it does. What do you want to drink?" He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses.

I sighed and set Milk down on the ground where he went scurrying over to his water bowl and began lapping up the water.

"I don't care." I pulled out a stool and sat down. "But really, he's sick. On his death bed sick."

Sasuke put down the two glasses and pulled out a bottle of V8 Fusion Mango Peach then sat down opposite me. "Come on let's not talk about death and sickness when we're about to eat alright?" He poured me a glass.

I frowned and opened the box of noodles. "But seriously, don't you care?" I poured about half its contents onto my plate.

"Yeah." He opened the white rice and began to eat right out of the box.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You sure about that?"

He sighed and took a sip of his drink before addressing me. "What do you want Naruto? Me to get all sad and start crying for some guy I don't know? Yes. It's unfortunate that he has cancer and is dying. But everyone dies Naruto. Even you and me. It's regrettable that he has cancer but instead of feeling sad that he's dying, you should be happy for him. Death is his release from the pain."

I didn't think of it that way.

His entire life he was in pain, if he dies, I should be happy for him.

He no longer has to fight.

"I suppose your right…"

He scoffed. "I know I am. But thanks for acknowledging the fact." He then resumed eating.

Even with that comforting spin on Death, I still hoped that he wouldn't die soon.

_Distance Distance _

The next morning I went to work. But I have no idea how it went because it was all a blur. My main goal was to get to the hospital as fast as possible; something in my gut was telling me something was horribly wrong.

My gut was right.

When I finally got to the hospital around lunch, there was a bunch of officials around Deidara's room; and I wasn't allowed inside.

Nobody would let me though or tell me what the hell happened. I was forced to wait in the waiting room down the hallway.

I baited my time until most of the people cleared out then I pushed my way though some nurses and barged into the room.

I was heartbroken at the sight.

There Deidara lay, motionless on the white bed.

He was no longer arrogant or conceded or even mocking.

He had no expression.

His skin was pale, even in contrast to the white sheets and everything around him was turned off.

I couldn't stand looking at him, but I couldn't look away either. It was disturbing.

I was use to seeing him moving, even in his sleep he was a bastard. But now he was dead. He was nothing.

"Sir, Sir! Come on I've let you look enough." A nurse grabbed me and pulled me out of the room. "You aren't supposed to be in there! You aren't family or friend!"

I didn't even protest.

"When?" She ignored me in favor of pushing me down into one of the chairs nearby.

"Tell me when he fucking died!" I grabbed her arm and yanked her down to my eyelevel. She was terrified of my strength; on some level I recognized that. But her detachment borderline boredom of Deidara's death left me a bit vengeful.

"About half an hour ago!" She squeaked out and grabbed my fingers. "Please don't hurt me." She whispered the last part, but I heard it nonetheless and relaxed my grip on her arm.

"Was he…was he in pain?" Offhandedly, I noted that she was in desperate need of new shoes.

"No…he was on morphine-high dosage."

I nodded and fell silent for a moment before Sakura entered my head. "Have you told Sakura yet?"

She sucked in air at the question, but answered. "Yes…she was there with him…when we knew he couldn't survive, we brought her to his room and…" She needn't say anymore.

I understood perfectly.

"Where is she now?"

"In her room…mourning."

An awkward silence built between us before she broke it. "Who are you?"

I released her arm and hung my head.

Deidara was dead.

I didn't want to believe it.

"Sir?"

"Naruto fucking Uzumaki." I growled. "I am his goddamn friend alright? So leave me the hell alone."

She didn't leave. Instead she knelt down beside me and patted my arm in what I presume was a comforting manner.

Eventually I realized she was willing to help me."If he has no family, whose going to see to the funeral?"

The nurse shrugged. "Probably the government. That's how it usually goes."

"But then it won't be…" I fished around for the perfect word. "Unique."

"No it won't. Funeral's are very expensive and the government can only put so much money into it. But at least he'd be buried which is the important thing."

"What if…what if someone came forward and decided to take care of it?"

"Pay the cost?"

"Yeah."

"Why? He hasn't any family." She was beginning to get annoyed with me and my nosey questions.

That much was obvious.

"I want to pay the funeral costs."

That caught her off guard.

She looked up at me in wonder then suspicion.

"You want to pay for his funeral?"

I nodded.

"You'll have to speak with the lawyers…but I suppose it will be done."

_Distance Distance _

Getting to Sakura's room was a blur, everything was moving fast, people's voices melded together, and nothing made sense. Except for Sakura's crying.

She just sat there on the bed, weeping her eyes out to the point that her face was a blotchy red color and swollen. I didn't talk, I just sat and listened to her reminisce about him. Which was hard because her words kept slurring together in my head. She spoke about the happy times they had, the sad, and eventually about how she couldn't give him a funeral he deserved.

I don't know how long it took; but I finally regained control of my brain and mouth.

"Sakura…I'm paying for Deidara's funeral, so…" I scratched the back of my head and stared down at her hands that clutched the used tissues she kept wiping her eyes and blowing her nose in even though there was a full box beside her. "I never planned a funeral before…I honestly don't know how to do it…but if you tell me what you want done, I'll make it happen."

She didn't say anything.

I mean not one goddamn thing.

I began to wonder if I was wrong to offer this.

Was I overstepping some boundary?

Inside my head I sighed. It wouldn't be the first time I fucked something up unknowingly.

"If-"

"Really? Do you mean it?" She whispered; I almost didn't hear her.

"Of course I mean it." I wasn't that much of an ass to offer something like that then take it back.

Did she really think that low of me?

"I…I have a bit saved up…" She dabbed the used tissues at her puffy eyes.

That, I will admit; grossed me out.

Wordlessly I reached over to the tissue box gave her two new ones and held out the garbage can for her to toss the used tissues out.

"It's not much…but please take it." She sniffed and coughed.

I reached a hand over to her and patted her back. "Don't worry about it Sakura. I've got the thing covered. Keep your money-you need it." I gave her a tired, forced smile. "You just relax okay? Write down whatever it is you want for his funeral and I'll come back to pick it up tomorrow alright?" I stood up and squeezed her shoulder. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Yes." She blew her nose.

I leaned away a bit.

I never was one for dealing with crying people.

To be fair, my only real friends are guys.

And guys don't cry.

"Will you go to his apartment and pick up a few things for me?"

I really wanted to say no.

I really wanted to draw the line at paying for his funeral.

But of course, it was Sakura. And I wanted to make her happy.

Whether it is as a friend, or something more.

"Of course."

Her watery emerald eyes looked up at me in wonder, and in that moment, I realized something.

I was becoming her crutch.

I was becoming her replacement Deidara.

And I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

_Distance Distance _

I left the hospital after that conversation and went back to Sasuke's house.

"Hey Sasuke…is a funeral that expensive?"

Sasuke tossed the packet of papers onto the counter top and picked up his mug of coffee. "Depends on the type of funeral. Nowadays people are just doing the wake, cremation and tossing the ashes somewhere instead of getting a family grave-funeral plots are expensive you know." He walked over to the glass door dividing the kitchen and patio. "Why?"

I groaned and walked over to the refrigerator with all the intentions of getting a beer. "I need to pay for a relatively good funeral…"

"Who died?"

I scowled when I realized there wasn't any beer in the fridge.

Now that I thought about it, it has been awhile since Sasuke bought any.

I shut the door in favor of getting a cup of coffee and putting a shot of whiskey in it.

"The guy I told you about…he died this morning."

He turned around and leaned against the wall near the glass. "And why are you paying for his funeral? That's his family's responsibility."

I sipped my alcohol laced coffee. "He has no family."

"Then the government will pay for it-besides you can't afford to pay the cost of a funeral." He pushed himself off the wall and walked up to the counter dividing us. "I know your finances Naruto. I balance your fucking check book-there's no way you can afford this without going into serious debt."

I shrugged; I knew it was expensive.

I knew it would put me into a really fucking deep hole.

But the guy deserved more than a government paid funeral.

Sasuke sipped his coffee and watched me over the brim of the mug. "Why do you want to pay for this guy's funeral anyway? You don't even know him do you?"

"Deidara was a conceded asshole who did things…he deserves a proper funeral." I quickly wrapped up. I didn't think Sasuke needed to know the sordid details of his life.

A silence grew between us.

Except for the occasional sound of Milk running from room to room.

"I'll pay for the idiot's funeral." Sasuke sighed and shook his head to silence me. "You're a bigger idiot than he is-putting yourself in debt for some guy you don't know." He turned away from me to walk into the living room. "Use the credit card I gave you for emergencies. I'll pay it off over the next few months so please refrain from doing anything more stupid alright?"

A stupid smile broke out on my face and I couldn't help but marvel at the bastard.

I wasn't expecting him to pay offer to pay for it.

I just wanted his input; because I knew he was the only person that would tell me the truth without sprinkling any fairy dust over it.

But knowing that he offered was nice.

I knew he wasn't the cold hearted bastard that he pretended to be; but sometimes, I forget that fact.

I chewed on my lower lip for a few seconds before drinking the rest of my coffee.

I would only use his card for the things I couldn't pay for; this was my responsibility, not his.

_Distance Distance _

L.

Review with your thoughts for if you don't I won't know if you liked it or not.

Continue?

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	16. Wake

L.

Distance 

Chapter 16 Wake 

It's been four days since Deidara's death; and I have not had one good fucking night's sleep since. I worked relentlessly to get things together during the day, but once night came I tossed and turned and sweated. Absently I remembered Deidara telling me he'd haunt my fucking ass.

I groaned and pushed that thought out of my mind. The last thing I need is the ghost of Sakura's dead boyfriend haunting me.

Anyway I got things together in a relatively good enough amount of time.

I had the exact coffin and urn Sakura wanted ordered and on its way. He was going to be cremated then scattered across some mountain I honestly never heard of.

It was costing me a pound and a crown.

My back account now literally mocked me every time I even glanced at the card sitting in my wallet.

All of my credit cards were maxed out to the limit.

I couldn't even buy a pack of gum if I wanted.

But she was happy. Well, as happy as a girl can be after her boyfriend died.

I worked day and night to make all of her wishes for him happen, which just might cost me my job as well. I kept taking days off and though my boss was leant at the beginning, after four days-it took an extra day because I wasn't family so Sasuke had to take a day off of work to persuade them-he wasn't so kind after he found out the guy wasn't my father or anything.

The funeral was going to be tomorrow. Thursday.

Tonight Sakura was having the wake; she was deemed well enough to be let out of the hospital yesterday and went home.

I however, opted out of joining in on that.

Even though I was fronting the cost for everything, that didn't mean I was close enough to warrant grieving over him for the entire night.

Though I did check in on her this morning to make sure she had everything she needed.

So far, I only needed to use Sasuke's card to buy the coffin, my new suit, the flowers, and Milk's food.

"Hey." I looked over my shoulder to see Sasuke handing me a cup of coffee. "You look like shit."

"Thanks man." I took the cup of coffee then looked back outside.

Lately I've been just staying at his house; I honestly didn't want to be alone and he didn't seem to mind. In fact, I think he really likes me hanging around all the time. Me and Milk that is. Since I've been preoccupied with the funeral arrangements and getting whatever Sakura wanted, he took over seeing about Milk.

I heard him breathe out behind me. "The wakes tonight." He stated.

"Yup."

"You going?"

"Nope."

"Hmm…" He stepped up beside me and sipped his coffee. "I called the credit card company. They say you only charged a coffin, a suit, and dog food."

I chanced a glance at him out of the corner of my eye to see him absolutely calm. Which to be honest scared me shitless. "That's right."

"You've already paid for everything else? The urn, flowers-"

"Yeah I have."

He remained silent for a few seconds. "You must be flat fucking broke." It was a statement devoid of any emotion.

"Yup."

"I told you I'd pay for it. All of it."

"You didn't know him."

"Neither did you."

"I knew him…"

"Funerals tomorrow."

"Yeah…you going?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

A calm, comfortable sad silence grew between us.

"Did you call Jiraiya?" He asked coolly.

Oh shit.

_Distance Distance _

I had completely forgotten about Jiraiya and the appointments. In my haste to put together the perfectly funeral, he just didn't enter my mind. I paced my room, kicking aside stupid objects as I dialed his number. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey Jiraiya." I greeted awkwardly and absently kicked one of the pillows on the flooring.

"_Well well if it isn't the illusive protégé."_ His voice was amused but concerned.

I began to pace my room, noting that since I didn't leave, Sasuke didn't have the maid clean up in here. The bed hadn't been made in days, there were coffee cups that came in and never left, pants were lying on the ground near pillows that I flung off the bed during my sleep.

I should probably ask him to have the maid clean in here like she normally does.

Gods know what might happen if he leaves this room to be.

"_Naruto?" _

"Oh hi! Yeah…I was calling to let you know…a friend? Of mine recently died and I've been seeing to his funeral arrangements…so…"

Shuffling was heard on the other end before he spoke. _"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that Naruto." _

I scratched the back of my head and sighed. "Thank you…"

"_When's the funeral?" _

"Tomorrow."

"_So he died a few days ago?"_

"Yeah…again sorry but as soon as I heard I just started trying to get things in order and well…"

"_Everything else fell to the wayside. I understand. Really I do." _

A silence drifted between us before I cleared my throat. "Will you…will you come to the funeral?"

"_What?"_ He snapped back, shocked and I think a bit offended.

"Please? It's…Its Sakura's boyfriend that died-remember her? The one you gave me the advice for. Well I went and saw him and we…we came to a sort of understanding and well…well it's thanks to you and Hidan that I took the time to actually sort of get to know the asshole and I sort of liked him. Hidan won't go to the funeral…and Sakura! Oh Sakura now sees me as her replacement Deidara and I-I just don't know what to do!" I collapsed onto the messy bed and ran my fingers though my messy hair. "I want to be with her…but I want her to…to see me…not just a crutch you know?"

He didn't answer for a long while, and if it wasn't for his breathing I'd have thought he hung up on me.

Not that I would blame him.

Lately all I've been is a whining son of a bitch that did nothing but complain and shit my pants until someone told me what to do.

I would hang up on myself.

"_Sure Naruto. I'll attend the funeral." _

"Thanks…thank you."

"_Of course."_ He sighed. _"You need to decide what you want to do. I can't tell you what your heart wants…if you so desire to be by her side, then deal with the consequences."_ And then he hung up.

_Distance Distance _

Later that evening I joined Sasuke for dinner like I usually do. He made fried chicken, a salad, chips and something with fruit. We sat at the dining table for once and he pulled out a bottle of whiskey instead of our usual beer.

"What's the occasion?" I asked as he poured me a glass and mixed it with soda.

"Tonight's the wake." He muttered when he fixed his own drink and held it up for us to toast. "To some guy I don't know." He smirked at me.

"To some guy he doesn't know." I grinned back and downed half of the drink.

It burned down my throat and settled coolly into my stomach.

We ate in silence for awhile, the eeriness of the large dining room settling in on us until he topped off our drinks and settled back into his chair, abandoning half of his meal. "So."

I stopped eating and picked up my drink. "So."

He snorted and looked at me in his calculating but decisive manner. "How are you holding up?"

I shrugged and leaned forward to push my plate away from me and swirled the drink in the cup. "Alright as can be."

Somewhere in the hall I heard Milk running around; probably playing with the chew toy Sasuke bought him.

He nodded and sipped his drink. "You haven't been to see Kiba in awhile."

"I've been busy seeing about the funeral."

"You know he called me."

"For?"

"Thought I killed you and your dog and disposed of your body in one of the houses I'm selling."

I snorted. "Stop being an ass."

"I mean it. Call him."

I sighed. "I'll call him alright? Later."

He looked at me for awhile.

Which made me really fucking uncomfortable.

It was like he was trying to look into my soul or something.

"Something's bothering you…something more than just the funeral."

"Thank you Captain Dickhead. Would you like to know my deepest darkest secrets as well?"  
I know my anger was unfounded, but it was really starting to piss me off his ability to read and lecture me. Normally I didn't mind, I actually sort of liked him looking out for me since I never really had a parental figure. But right now I didn't want him to try and father me. I just wanted to wallow in my misery and let things lay as they may.

He glared at me and stood up. "Shove your attitude up your ass and shit it out with all of your other problems." Then he left.

I admit it.

My life was up the crapper without a paddle.

And I kept kicking everyone in the balls who tried to help me.

_Distance Distance _

L.

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Review.

Continue?

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	17. Scattering Ashes

L.

How is the story thus far?

Distance 

Chapter 17 Scattering Ashes 

"I'm sorry Sasuke! I was an ass last night-I don't know what I was thinking!" I knocked yet again on Sasuke's bedroom door. "I wasn't thinking at all! My mouth acted without the supervision of my brain!" Beside me Milk scratched at the door. "Please open up…"

I groaned and head butted the wooden door.

Ever since my smartass comment last night Sasuke has been completely avoiding me.

Not that I blame him but still.

Milk whimpered and pawed at the door again.

Poor Milk, he's even ignoring him.

"Sasuke…" I whined. "Can we at least talk?"

I swear it's like we're fucking married and I'm the guy.

Just then he swung open the door and I fell inside.

He stepped back and let me personally introduce myself to his flooring while Milk yipped happily then licked my face. I snorted at him; he thought he opened the door all by himself.

"Well?" Sasuke asked his voice slow and patient.

I sighed, picked myself up and sat on my ass in the middle of the doorway while Milk pawed at Sasuke's black pants.

He ignored Milk.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night. I was stressed and stupid and I know you only wanted to help." I repeated the speech I had recited over and over in my head.

"Okay?" He folded his arms across his chest but his face was still cold and impassive.

The Ice Man was probably wondering what the hell happened to all his frost-Sasuke's room was fucking cold and his glare wasn't helping. I had half the mind to turn up the thermostat before continuing.

"Please stop ignoring me." I sighed.

"I was sleeping last night. That wasn't me intentionally ignoring you."

I groaned and pulled at my hair.

He can be such a prick at times!

"You didn't come down for breakfast, you've been ignoring Milk and you locked yourself in your room! Please forgive me-today's Deidara's funeral and you said you'd go…" I knew I sounded pathetic and needy but really, if it weren't for Sasuke half of the things wouldn't get done.

He was responsible.

He kept receipts and a schedule.

He knew peoples numbers and how to bargain to get a better deal.

If it weren't for him, this funeral wouldn't be happening.

Even though he kept his distance, he would jot down little sticky notes reminding me to call the hospital or the lawyer or check on the casket.

I needed him.

He may not need me but I sure as hell need him.

Especially today.

He shifted his weight and picked up Milk. "Stop groveling you aren't a woman." He relented.

I suppressed a grin and stood up.

That was his way of saying we're okay again.

"Go put on your suit." Was all he stated before he shoved me out of his room and locked the door. I heard Milk yip through the wood before I walked away to my room.

_Distance Distance_

Then funeral was a blur; I blocked it out.

It hurt me to see Sakura so hurt by something I couldn't control. I remember her constantly crying and hiccupping. I remember her face-wet and sticky with tears and mucous, blotchy, red and swollen.

I also remember Sasuke's persisting hand always on my shoulder or tugging my arm to keep from running away.

At first I was annoyed at him for doing it, but after awhile I was grateful.

Twice I nearly turned and ran like hell itself was at my feet; the only thing that stopped me was his death grip cutting off the circulation on my arm.

Jiraiya came as he said he would and said some standard condolence words to Sakura-but I don't think she recognized the fact that she didn't know who he was-Sasuke only stood quietly at her side for a few seconds before coming back to me.

But I wasn't even balls enough to do that.

I only hovered near her and watched her face.

I didn't even glance at the open casket.

I wanted to remember the asshole they way he was in life, not some depressing representation of him.

When he was alive he was conceded, arrogant, controlling.

It was who he was.

In my mind I had an idea of the way they had him looking; hands folded neatly, hair combed and loose, eyes closed and face devoid of any emotion.

That was a lie.

Even in sleep he was full of emotion.

At the end, Sakura collected the ashes by herself; I stood by the car with Sasuke, my hands shoved into my pockets.

After a few seconds, Jiraiya came up and stuck his hand out. "I'm sorry for your loss Naruto." I clasped his strong, warm hand and felt him squeeze my knuckles. "I hope you make up your mind soon." Then he left.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke muttered, sticking his hands into his pant pockets.

I shifted. "Remember last night when you asked what the fuck was with me?"

He grunted.

"She is. She's my problem."

"Sakura?"

"Yeah." I chewed my lower lip and wondered how I should tell him without earning more pity points. "I like her man…I mean really like her. You know Deidara was her boyfriend right? Well you know how he died of Leukemia? Well she has it too…and since he died-well the day he died-she started looking at me like his replacement…and I don't know if I like it-well I don't like it-but I mean I don't really know if I'm okay with it."

He didn't answer right away, instead he looked at Sakura who was clasping hands with someone and praying. She wore a black long coat with a matching black fuzzy hat and heels, making her look tall and slim yet frail at the same time. Her long pink hair hung loose and blew in the wind.

"If you let her go on like that you will be living in his shadow."

I looked at Sasuke standing beside me.

His jaw was tight and his hands were still in his pockets.

"I know." I looked away to stare down at my new scuffed black loafers.

"She will never really see you again. All she'll see is her dead boyfriend."

"I know."

_Distance Distance_

Sasuke and I accompanied Sakura that evening to scatter Deidara's ashes. Sasuke rented a Hummer for the drive up that mountain; ergo he got to drive.

I sat shotgun and Sakura sat in the back.

We brought coffee and beer for the long drive, but no one really drank.

Not even Sasuke.

Every once in awhile I glanced back in the mirror to check on Sakura; she clutched the urn like it was her lifeline.

Though I suppose it really was in a way.

"Sakura?" I whispered.

Her emerald eyes jumped up to mine, I stared back at her, taking in her watery gaze and blotchy complexion.

She was still beautiful.

"Are you okay?"

Stiffly she nodded.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"N-no…Thank you Naruto. Sasuke."

I offered her a smile. "It's not a problem."

"I mean for everything…for the amazing funeral…"

I bit my lip and felt my face heat up. "It's-your welcome."

"So Naruto tells me you were in the hospital before. You okay now?" Sasuke asked and looked at her through the rearview mirror.

I wanted to punch him, to shut him up somehow.

But I didn't.

"Oh-uhm…I'm alright-it was just the flu." She laughed nervously under his gaze.

I knew that feeling, it was uneasy and made you either admit the truth, buy something you really didn't want to, or shit your pants. He was that kind of guy, that one that made you feel he could see your deepest darkest secrets by just looking at you.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He continued looking at her, holding her gaze.

"Thank you?" She didn't know how to respond.

"Hey man how 'bout a beer?" I lightly punched him on the arm. "Or a shot? I brought Vodka."

_Distance Distance_

We stopped at a small ledge blocked off from the actual edge of the cliff; it overlooked a forest but there really wasn't much to see at night. At least I didn't think so.

Sasuke parked off to the side and shut off the engine while Sakura got out, urn in hand and walked to the fence overlooking the forest.

I stayed in the car.

"Get out and go with her." Sasuke muttered darkly.

"I don't think it's my place." Still, I unbuckled the seatbelt.

"Not your place? I'm paying by the hour for this fucking Hummer so get your ass out there before I kick it." He glared at me.

I got out of the Hummer and walked to Sakura's side.

She turned to look at me, a small smile dancing on her pale, chapped lips. "He always wanted to come here."

I looked out and saw nothing that would make me want to come here.

"Why?"

She titled her head and looked at something over my shoulder.

Just then the wind blew and swept up her hair so that it surrounded her small frame.

It was a beautiful though a bit saddening sight.

"He saw it in a magazine once…he said one day he and I will come here and we'll both make art here…he'd sculpt…and I'd paint…" A lone tear trickled down her cheek.

I didn't know what to do.

Do I hug her?

Say something?

What about a pat on the shoulder?

Should I give her my handkerchief?

At that moment she opened the urn and tossed his ashes into the air; they plummeted straight down to the forest below. Which was not what I was expecting.

I thought some wind would pick up and scatter his ashes into the sky or something.

Instead they fell dramatically down onto the treetops below us.

I even heard the sound as they crashed onto the branches.

"I hope he's happy…" She whispered as she put the top back on the urn. "I'm going to put his urn on my fireplace."

I nodded. "That's a good spot."

She looked up at the sky.

I followed her gaze and saw the stars twinkling down on us.

That brought a sad smile to my face; I forgot that stars twinkled.

_Distance Distance_

L.

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	18. Working

L.

Distance 

Chapter 18 Working 

I went back to work the next morning; I had to, I really didn't want to lose this job. There was no guarantee I'd get another; not to mention the fact that I was now swimming in a sea of debt.

So I woke up bright and early much to my dismay, took a quick shower, played with Milk for a bit then left Sasuke's place.

I was pretty sure he'd be edge that I didn't make him breakfast but to be fair, I didn't have anything to eat either.

_Distance Distance_

My route started out normal enough; picked up envelopes, delivered bills.

Simple. Nothing shocking.

When I arrived at Sakura's house, I wasn't at all surprised to see her standing in the doorway holding a stack of post. I opened the gate and walked up the walkway to greet her. "Morning." I sent her a half smile and held out a stack of post for her to take. She was wearing plaid blue and pink pajama bottoms and a fitted light pink hoodie with her pink hair tied back in a messy bun.

"Good morning Naruto." She spoke softly and accepted the stack and handed me her own.

I nodded and took her stack and tucked it into my bay.

"Would you like some coffee?"

I looked up at her in confusion, ready to turn her down and tell her I really have to work today only to see her holding out a reusable orange cup of coffee with the hot steam seeping though the cover. "It's really hot…so be careful."

Slowly, I took the cup from her grip and my warm fingers brushed her cold hands.

It was then I really looked at her.

Her face was gaunt and her skin had a sickly blue tinge to it.

Her emerald eyes were dull and lifeless.

There were bags under her eyes.

On the whole she looked absolutely sick; like the walking dead.

"Thank you…Sakura…" I whispered though my eyes kept roaming up and down her sickly frame. I couldn't help but wonder how the fucking hell she remained upright and didn't crash down to the ground.

She was so thin.

Was she eating?

"No problem." She smiled a genuine smile at me and I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at the sight. "It's really cold out; I thought you might appreciate it."

I nodded. "I do." And then I took a cautionary sip and hissed when the steaming hot liquid burned the tip of my tongue.

Then an awkward silence sort of built between us until I remembered I was supposed to be working, not staring at Sakura's feet which was turning a funny shade of purple from the cold.

I smiled a concerned, worried smile at her and took a step back away from the stairs. "Thanks again for the coffee…and I was wondering…" I didn't know how to ask if she was eating.

Should I invite her to a restaurant?

But I couldn't pay.

What I could do though was invite her to dinner.

But at the moment I was crashing at Sasuke's. Well more like living with him; tomorrow he was going to terminate my lease at the apartment I was staying at.

I could no longer pay the rent and he was nice enough to let me move in with him.

So now before I could invite Sakura over, I had to check with him and make sure he was okay with it.

"You better get going." Her soft voice broke into my mind.

"What?"

She smiled gently at me and I saw that her lips were slightly bleeding. "Work. You're supposed to be working Naruto."

I blinked.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." And then she stepped back into her house.

_Distance Distance_

A few streets after Sakura, I remembered that I was supposed to call Kiba.

But didn't.

So dialed his number-cell number, no way in hell was I risking Temari answering the phone-and waited for him to answer.

He answered on the second ring._ "Hello?" _

"Hey man."

"_Naruto?" _

"Yup. One and only."

"_Holy shit! I thought you died or something! Fucking hell you couldn't have at least sent me a text? You just disappeared for like a week!" _

I sighed and stuck two envelopes in the empty box and turned around. "I know I'm sorry but-"

"_No! You don't get to fucking-shit Naruto I really thought Sasuke killed you!"_

I rolled my eyes at his drama and made my way to the next house. "Oh calm the fuck down Kiba. We both know you don't really think he'd kill me."

He cursed then sighed. _"Have you seen the guy? He's a walking ice King. He'd kill everyone he sees if he could. But that's beside the point where the hell have you been? You haven't barged into my office in days…what's going on man?"_

I sighed and placed the few envelopes in the post box. "Well…I don't know if I should say this over the phone…maybe I should drop by later?"

"_Would you really? Or are you just fucking around again? Literally_." He wasn't too happy about my unintentional disappearance act.

"To be honest I'm in no mood to deal with Temari man."

"_I understand. Just tell me your okay." _

"I'm not going to lie man, shits been tough. You know Deidara?"

"_Sakura's boyfriend?" _

"He's dead."

"_You're lying." _

"Nope. I paid for his funeral."

"…_The fuck? Where the hell have I been?" _

"Sorry…"

He sighed and I heard the slamming of a door before he spoke. _"Naruto…are you serious?"_

"Yeah Kiba I am. Deidara is dead; I paid for his funeral, with some help from Sasuke. Sakura's now out of the hospital but she doesn't look so good."

"_What about you?" _

"What about me?"

"_How you doing?" _

"I don't know…things with Sakura have changed."

"_I'd say…why don't you drop by my place tomorrow?" _

"Look I-"

"_I'll make some burgers and beer. Just come over and relax." _

It was then it occurred to me that Kiba really did care about me. He really was worried and probably did call Sasuke accusing him of killing me. He had no way of really knowing what was going on and knowing Sasuke, he wouldn't tell Kiba a thing without my consent.

I agreed to go over.

_Distance Distance_

Jiraiya was nice enough to let me skip our appointment again today so after work, I stopped by my apartment only to realize I was locked out.

Sasuke had taken the key to give it to the movers to start moving my stuff over to his house.

I snorted.

I really didn't have anything to move.

All I owned was one flat screen that was most likely going to go into storage along with the one sofa, two broken chairs, stained kitchen table and shitty bed.

Only my clothing and shoes would make it over to Sasuke's house.

I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck.

I was too young to have so much stress.

"Guess I could go find Sasuke." I muttered and began to walk down the street away from my apartment complex. He did mention something about an open house around here today.

After ten minutes I found the listing he talked about. It was a small, family house with a garage and walkway. I walked in through the back door to see Sasuke standing in the kitchen chatting with a man and women. He was wearing his black suit with a dark blue tie and black loafers.

He looked professional.

He looked competent.

He nodded at whatever the man asked and pointed to something on the paper then turned to the woman and gestured to the living room. "Why don't you have a look around? See if you can see yourself making this house a home." At that moment the woman smiled and grabbed her husband to pull him around.

"Hey Sasuke."

He looked up to see me then snorted. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

I shrugged and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. "Don't know…just…am."

He raised an eyebrow at me and sighed. "Alright well…this shouldn't take too long. How about after this we grab a late lunch then head home?"

"Sounds good to me."

_Distance Distance_

We ate lunch at a simple restaurant not too far from his house.

I ordered chicken and vegetables and he ordered steak and potatoes.

To be honest I wasn't really hungry, but he was being polite.

Nothing interesting happened during lunch, we ate and talked but it was monotonous.

The rest of the day passed the same way; he worked in his office and I just sat on the hallway flooring playing fetch with Milk.

At least Milk was happy.

_Distance Distance_

That night I lay in bed thinking about Sakura and how she saw me.

I was just a replacement man for her, in her eyes I was just another Deidara. Someone to hold her when she wept, someone to pat her back and pick her up when she fell, hold her hair when she threw up; but I would never be Deidara. I would never hold his place in her heart. When she looked at me, all she would see is a nice man helping her out. She would still be alone, grieving for the boyfriend who died of cancer.

I turned over and looked at Milk who somehow wormed his way onto my bed.

I smiled as he nudged my hand with his wet nose and made a sort of whining sound as he settled into the sheets.

"Milk…what do you think I should do?" I whispered, catching his attention. "Should I settle for being the friend? Or walk away with my pride still intact?" He looked up at me with his big, glassy eyes and licked my hand.

_Distance Distance_

L.

If you don't review I don't know if you like it or not.

Please leave your thoughts.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	19. Actions

L.

Distance 

Chapter 19 Actions 

Saturday morning; I woke up, took a shower, fed Milk, and grabbed the reusable coffee cup Sakura gave me then headed to work.

Or rather tried to; when I got to the door, Sasuke was there holding out a brown bag with a scowl on his face. "Uh…Morning Sasuke?" I wasn't too sure if he was pissed, or just having me on for a laugh.

"Moring. I made you breakfast since you seem to have forgotten that food is important." He shoved the bag into my chest then stepped aside. "I have the day off today…so I'll be making dinner later alright?"

I nodded and looked into the bag to see a hot croissant with an omelet in the middle. "I'm not coming home for lunch…Kiba invited me over…says he's making food."

He snorted, muttered some curses then sighed and ran a hand though his hair. I took the opportunity to look at him; he was up for hours, his dark blue dress shirt was already crinkled, his black slacks were creased and he was already wearing his shoes. "So your leaving me to see to your stuff?"

"What?"

"The mover's idiot. They're bringing your stuff today."

"Oh right." I forgot about that; they were bringing my clothing today.

"Its fine its fine. Go have fun with Kiba." He turned to go back down the hall. "But don't complain about where your stuff goes."

I snorted. "I won't…thanks man."

"Get to work."

It was a shitty morning to say the least; well weather wise it was. The sun wasn't out, it was overcast and looked like it wanted to rain any goddamn minute, I didn't have an umbrella or even a hat, and the wind was so fucking cold!

The only upside was that Sakura had left her door open but kept the screen door shut. I walked up the path to her front door just as she appeared behind the glass.

She looked like hell to say the least.

Her nose was red; her eyes puffy, her hair was a mess, skin looked sweaty and had a bit of an unhealthy green tinge to it.

"Sakura?" I blinked stupidly at her as she opened the screen door and handed me a single envelope.

"Morning." She couched and blinked repeatedly.

I took the envelope but remained staring at her. "You…are you alright?"

I knew the obvious answer but it was the polite thing to do.

But to be perfectly honest, I wanted to call the ambulance since I knew she had Leukemia and I had a feeling that getting sick wasn't safe at all.

"I'm…" She sighed. "Not so great…I think I have a fever."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline. She thinks?

"Then you should go see a doctor-or better yet go to the hospital." I was more than ready to call out early and take her there myself.

She shook her head and rubber her swollen eyes. "I'm fine, I'll be fine." She waved me off. "You have work to do, don't worry about me." With that said, she stepped back into her house and closed her door.

I stood there for a second, confused and a little affronted but pushed it from my mind and tried to finish up my rounds in time to go to Kiba's.

_Distance Distance _

When I got to Kiba's place, he had already started the grill and had the pack of beer cooling in the refrigerator.

"Glad you made it." He grinned in relief as I strolled inside the open front door.

I snorted and walked over to him in the kitchen. "Of course man." He clasped me on the back but remained staring at me in wonder.

I got the feeling that he wanted to hug me and say something.

But refrained.

Instead he gestured down at his clothing. "Like?" I looked down at him and chuckled. He was wearing an apron that said 'Food aint cheap…tip me.'

"Nice…but I'm not tipping."

He laughed and picked up a tray of what I presumed to be chicken wings. "Grab a beer then meet me out back alright?"

I did as he said and followed him outside; it was cold out but the heat from the grill made it bearable. I stood beside him, beer in hand while he careful placed slabs of beef onto the grill. "So…" He stated conversationally, his eyes trained on the meat. "You good?"

"Good enough…Sakura's really not doing too well man. I saw her this morning and she looked like hell over water." I cracked open the can and took a swig. "I don't know what to do."

He closed down the lid of the grill then turned to face me, a solemn look on his face. "Look…Naruto and I'm only saying this cause I care man." He sighed. "Ever since you got involved with that Sakura girl, you've been out of it. She's all you ever talk about, she's constantly on your mind-I'm not saying that it's a bad thing…but it isn't good either." He reached beside him and picked up his own can of beer. "Sasuke told me what you did-after several insults that is-about how you're completely in debt because of the funeral…it was a good thing to do but come on man; you didn't even know him."

I scowled and looked away.

Kiba was the last guy on earth I wanted to hear this shit from.

"Don't be pissed man, I just thought I should be the voice of reason."

"Well take your reason and fuck yourself with it." I spat; I knew he was doing this out of kindness but I didn't want to hear it.

My life was stressful enough without him criticizing what I was doing.

"Naruto…" He stared at me in shock and disgust.

I immediately regretted my words and hung my head. "Kiba…man I'm sorry I just-it…you're right…" I shook my head and heaved a heavy sigh. "This just…as you know have been fucking tough and confusing…especially Sakura."

He nodded and sipped his beer. After a few seconds he coughed uncomfortably. "All I can say is find your balls man. The Naruto I know wouldn't let some girl take him for a ride then kicks him in the balls. And that's what Sakura has been doing."

"What?" I had half a mind to kick him in the balls but controlled myself.

"Think about it man; she had you pay for her boyfriends funeral, acts like she's interested then acts-I don't know man but from this side of the fence she's playing that whole push and pull game." He shrugged. "All I'm saying is that she's toxic…and she's poisoned you."

I didn't respond but drank my beer.

After a few seconds he laughed. "Toxic-shit I need to stop drinking." He shook his head and opened the grill to flip the meat. "Don't listen to me man; I had a few before you got here."

But his words kept replaying themselves in my mind.

Toxic.

Game.

Balls.

Deep down I knew I wasn't myself; I was now a lovesick puppy. Pining for a woman who can't even see the real me.

I shook my head and nudged Kiba in the ribs. "Fucking hell man you're right. Drunk or not." I reached over and took his beer.

_Distance Distance _

After Kiba's, I decided to give Sakura a call; I needed to have a frank discussion with her. No matter how awkward it may be I needed to lay my thoughts out there and see what she had to say.

This couldn't go on.

But she didn't answer.

My heart started to pound in my chest and all sorts of scenarios played themselves out in my head.

I cursed under my breath and rushed the hell over to her house only to see it completely dead.

She wasn't home.

But she was this morning.

Then my brain went into overdrive; the coughing, sneezing, fever, clamminess-she went to the hospital like I suggested.

But why didn't she leave me a message?

_Distance Distance _

At the hospital I spoke with a nurse whom I cleverly persuaded to let me have a talk with Sakura's doctor.

And I wish I didn't. The information he told me conformed what I thought about her and made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't even see her right away for fear I would send her flying through the window. I sat outside her room sipping a soda for half an hour before I calmed myself down enough to go into the room.

When I did, it looked as though she were waiting for me.

There she was lying down but her head was tilted towards the door.

"Naru…to…" She whispered my name.

I nodded and walked closer to her bed. "Yeah?" My voice shook, betraying me.

She licked her dry lips slowly, and took a deep, shuddering breath that wracked her entire body. "You deserve…to know the truth…" Her dull emerald eyes closed slowly before reopening again. "I have Leukemia…I…I'm dying…"

I took a few seconds to gather myself, then I told her exactly what I needed to.

"I know you have Leukemia-I've actually known for a while now." I stared down at her with pity in my eyes. "Don't lie to me Sakura. Don't lie and tell me you're dying." I swallowed thickly, trying to control my emotions. "You're not…you're giving up." I took a deep, bracing breath and shut my eyes. "You're giving up living. Tell me the truth-you miss Deidara…I don't blame you but the doctors say the cancer is under control…it's you-your giving up hope."

I knew my words were harsh.

But what I was saying was the truth.

For the first time I was seeing her. The real her.

I wasn't blinded by her beauty or wooed by her wistful personality.

I wasn't fueled by jealously or pushed by fear.

I was seeing Sakura for Sakura; in all her unaltered glory.

She was broken and beaten, kicked and abused by life. She was weak and fragile, chewed up by the same drugs meant to keep her alive and left for dead by her boyfriend who's life was claimed through self fucking neglect and cancer.

And I still loved her.

Though her heart really belonged to a man now dead; my heart still cried out for her.

I am in love with a woman who's slowly dying a painful, frustrating death who quite possibly may never love me the way I love her.

And yet, I don't fucking care.

As long as I get to be with her, I'll settle for it.

They say there is no such thing as love, only actions.

I hope my actions show my love for Sakura.

And I hope eventually she would see that.

Distance ~ End 

_Distance Distance _

L.

This is the end of the story.

I do hope you enjoyed it and will check out my other stories.

Please leave a review with your thoughts of the story, I value your opinion.

If you are interested in receiving updates about my stories, sequels, and upcoming stories check out the link in my profile.

In hindsight I see that alot of people enjoyed this story but I feel that if I were to continue pushing it; it would not have been written to the best of my ability. So I opted to stop while I was ahead.

All constructive and unconstructive criticism is welcome.


	20. Epilogue

L.

Hullo, it's been ages since I said I finished the last chapter and posted it but lately I've been thinking about an epilogue and this came to me. I know many people requested it but at the time (wow that was _months _ago) I really didn't have an epilogue in mind.

Distance 

Chapter 20 Epilogue 

It's been three years since I've met Sakura and two and a half years since we've started going out and things have not been easy, there are times when she slips into depression, weeks when I think I can't stand her and just want to leave, months when we don't do anything but have sex then yell at one another-but that's life.

That's relationships.

We bicker, yell curse and scream at one another but we stick together because that's what you do when you love someone.

"Naruto I told you I didn't _want _Indian food!" Sakura scowled and folded her arms.

We were sitting on the back porch of our house having tea and lunch. Well I was having lunch, she was pouting. "I thought you said yes! Well don't let it go to waste I'll eat it." I moved to take her share only have it snatched away from me.

"No! I'm hungry."

"Then eat it."

"But I don't want it! I wanted sushi!"

I rolled my eyes and popped a piece of curry duck into my mouth and chewed. "Well I thought you said Indian." I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "It tastes really good."

Sakura has been doing really well; the doctors say it's amazing-almost as though she doesn't have Leukemia at all. Of course she really does have it but she's been in remission and aside from the occasional off days, she's been doing well. Her skin is healthy, her hair long and shiny and although she denies it; if she wanted she really could bruise me from one of her punches.

The woman can fight, I'll tell you that much.

"Curry is…I don't want curry." She continued petulantly.

"Fine. Don't eat it."

"But I'm hungry!"

"Then make a sandwich!" Really we go through this at _least _once a week; I'd buy something then she'd yell and scream at me to go buy something else! Money doesn't grow on trees!

"But I want-"

"Sushi I know." I finally turned to face her. "You know where the shops are-go get it then. I'll wait here." I watched as irritation then defeat and finally annoyance flashed across her face then grinned at her. "Don't be a princess Sakura, just eat it."

She huffed but complied. "I have no idea what I see in you." She growled, opening the container and scowling at the curry. I don't see what her problem is, curry is delicious!

"Oh it might be my devilishly handsome good looks? Or is it my charming personality? Could it be my incredibly good sense of humor?"

"Or maybe it's your inert ability at losing jobs?" She hissed darkly.

"Ouch. Honey that hurt." I sent her a puppy dog look; I knew she was right. I did keep losing my jobs but its only because I haven't found what I really wanted to do with my life. Finally I had the girl I love-and secretly want to propose to-but I haven't found that financial stability yet.

But soon as I do, I'll get down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage.

I mean we already act like an old married couple, might as well make it official.

Sakura sighed and reached over the small table to pat my hand. "I know, sorry. But really you've gone through so many jobs Naruto it's a bit absurd." Almost instantly my fingers closed around her own. "You need to find something you love."

I locked eyes with her and as much as I'd like to say it's bullshit, my heat sped up a bit and I still couldn't wipe the stupid goofy grin off of my face. "I love you."

"Funny." She smiled and reached up to cup my face. "But really what do you love to do?"

"Let's not ruin good curry with this talk Sakura." I sighed and returned to my food. This has been a routine conversation for a long time now; 'What do you love to do Naruto? Who do you want to be Naruto? Come on, time to grow up and take on responsibilities Naruto.' Like I don't know? Every one of my friends have moved on with their life, Sasuke's found a pretty house wife, Kiba's dating a women in love with animals and he's getting ready to propose and what about me? Sure Sakura and I have finally moved in together and we're in a steady relationship but I'm still working dead end jobs with no insight into the future.

Just then there was a loud crash inside the house followed by several choiced words.

"Stay here." I muttered, placed my curry on the table then leaned inside the patio door to peer inside. Slowly I inched inside, cursing the fact that there was a burglar and all I had at my disposal was a knife.

If I could make my way to the kitchen before finding them.

"Naruto you prick! Who the hell puts their beer under a window!" What the hell? That sounded like Shikamaru?

"Shikamaru?" I walked into the living room to see him nursing his foot. "Did you just…my window?" I looked up at the now broken window then back at him.

"Don't give me that look when I'm holding the application to your new carrier." He sighed and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I was talking to a guy down in PR and he was saying his brother is a game designer and their looking for testers." He held out the envelope. "You like video games right?"

I met Shikamaru when I accidently ran a red light and he pulled me over; because apparently I was a pathetic sobbing mess at the time-Sakura and I had a _real _bad fight that night-he didn't give me a ticket but instead played psychologist and listened to me cry about her.

We've been friends ever since.

I stared down at the envelope now in my hands.

Video game tester?

Me?

I never thought about it.

Would I like it?

Could I do it?

"The application is just a formality. If you want the job you've got it." Shikamaru sighed and turned around. "Is Sakura here? I should say 'hello.'"

That snapped me out of my head and I nearly blushed.

Nearly.

I'm a man so _didn't _but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't touched by this. "She's out on the porch." I mumbled and nodded. "Go ahead; she'd be happy to see you." I followed him though the house till we reached the patio door. "Thanks Shikamaru…for the application."

He looked over his shoulder at me and shrugged. "No problem. We can all use a hand sometime." And then he went out. "Hi Sakura."

"Shikamaru! Hello!" She accepted his hug. "Was it you making that loud noise?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'll pay for the new window."

"You broke my window?"

"No one was answering the door and it was important I speak to Naruto."

At that she raised an eyebrow and sipped her glass of water. "Is everything alright?"

He glanced at me and I shrugged then ducked back inside to grab him a beer. I didn't care if he told Sakura or not-she was going to find out one way or another.

Me? A game tester?

It _sounds _like fun.

But is it really?

I opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a Corona.

I do like video games; maybe I'll give it a go.

Who knows? Maybe I really would like it.

"Here you go." I handed Shikamaru his drink before sitting back down; but I felt eyes on me. Somehow I knew it was Sakura. "I don't know if I'll take it Sakura. I'm still thinking about it."

"Of course, no need to rush." Shikamaru jumped in. "But I do think you'll like it. Went down to do a security check awhile back and it seemed like fun. Pay's pretty well too."

"So Shikamaru how's Ino?" Sakura changed the topic and pushed around her curry.

I, unfortunately, no longer felt like eating.

"Pregnant."

"But is she well?"

"She's pregnant." He sighed. "A pregnant Ino is not a happy Ino."

"You know what," I cut in. "I'll do it. I'll take the job." Why not?

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at me but smiled. "Alright. Just fill out the application and give it to me." He reached inside his jacket pocket and took out a pen. "An officer always has a pen on him." He exhaled and placed it on top of the application.

Sakura reached over the table and took my hand in both of her own. "Good. I was hoping you would." She smiled and ran her thumb over my knuckles in an attempt to be supportive and soothing.

For some reason, as soon as I scribbled my name down on the application it felt right. Like this was what I was supposed to be doing.

This was just the first step to a good life.

The second would be picking out a ring for Sakura.

_Distance Distance _

Why are there so many options when it comes to buying a wedding ring?

Gold or silver?

Diamonds?

Engravings?

Initials?

Same design or different?

"Why is this so hard?" I muttered under my breath as I twirled a small silver engagement ring between my fingers. It was delicate looking with one large diamond in the middle with two smaller diamonds on either side.

Actually, the more I played with it the more I liked it.

There was just something about it that reminded me of Sakura.

"Do you like that one Sir?" I glanced up at the woman smiling back at me. "It is awful nice isn't it?"

"Yeah…I'll take it."

She nodded and pulled out a black velvet box. "Would you like to have it engraved?"

"No…just make it look pretty will you?"

"Of course!" She grinned. "Does the lucky girl have a favorite color?"

"I like orange-do you have orange?" I handed the ring back to her and watched as she carefully seated it back into the box and closed the lid. She then rummaged underneath the counter before pulling out another box; this one was jet black with some sort of patterning on it.

"Yeah, look how cute this will look." She slid the velvet box into this new one and slipped on a small bright orange bow then adjusted it so the bow was off to the side. "What do you think?"

I grinned. "Looks great! I hope she likes it."

"I think she will."

_Distance Distance _

I don't think I've ever been this nervous.

My stomach felt weird.

I was sweating in places I never knew _could _sweat.

My hands were clammy.

And Sakura was taking _forever_ to come home!

There I stood out on the back porch waiting; I had set up everything. There were candles and cushions and chocolate and the ring!

Why couldn't she just come home already?

At this rate I'll quicker throw up than propose!

"Naruto I'm home!" Her voice suddenly called into the house and I nearly turned around and fled-pretty sure I could jump the fence in one leap!

But I didn't.

I took a deep breath, patted my suit jacket pocket-because I did think to wear a really nice suit-and tried to smile. "Sakura? Will you come out to the back please?"

"Why? I'm tired Naruto and I want to shower first. It was a long day at work bu-"

"Please? This is important to me." My voice shook but I kept my cool.

It was quite for a few seconds but eventually I heard her footsteps as she made her way to the sliding doors. "Why? Is something wrong?"

As soon as she stepped through that door I got down on one knee. "Sakura Haruno." I began nervously and she gasped. "I love you Sakura." I pulled out the box from my pocket and watched as she slapped one hand over her mouth.

I only hope it's because she's so excited that she's about to scream and didn't want the neighbors to think she was being raped.

Or kidnapped.

"I want to always be with you." I popped open the lid. "And I hope you want to be with me too?"

She didn't do anything for a few seconds except stare at the ring in his casing.

Oh shit.

She's going to say no.

Should I shut the box?

Crap!

Fuck!

Stand up you idiot!

You've been rejected!

"Yes."

Wait. What?

"Yes I want to marry you Naruto." She whispered and held out her hand for me to slide the ring on.

Relief washed over me like soothing aloe on sunburn.

With trembling fingers I slid the ring onto her left ring finger then pulled her down into a desperate kiss. "Fucking hell Sakura you took so damn long to say yes I nearly had a heart attack!"

She laughed and kissed me before pinching my shoulder. "Well it took you long enough to ask!"

And I knew in that moment, I made the right decision.

Sakura Haruno was the woman to spend my life with.

Yes we'll fight and scream and sometimes want to kill the other but deep down, we love one another and that's what counts.

Distance ~ End 

_Distance Distance _

This is really the end of this story now; I hope you all enjoyed it. It took ages to write the epilogue because it was one of those things that just had so many options. -L


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